Jehovah witness court cases 2018 ’ Nov 1, 2025 · A Jehovah’s Witness sexual abuse lawsuit can still be filed by survivors, and many cases have already resulted in settlements. Chinappa Reddy delivered the opinion of the Court. Ultimately, the Jehovah’s Witnesses withdrew their motion to dismiss Watch Tower Pennsylvania from the case. In 2015, an unidentified female member of the McRae, Georgia Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses was diagnosed with ALS. Jul 9, 2025 · Since 2019, prosecutors in Pennsylvania have uncovered hordes of internal Jehovah’s Witness files that document sexual abuse cases dating back decades, court records show — a key component of Jan 10, 2024 · The B. ” West Virginia State Board of Education v. Contact AVA Law Group for a free case review and fight for justice today. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, together with the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses were found guilty of both negligence and malice in connection with the intentional failure to file California targeted the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses and impermissibly intruded upon matters of church governance, religious doctrine, and religious practice when it ordered Watchtower to produce these intra-faith communications. Jun 23, 2023 · Smith v. Nov 13, 2019 · A High Court judge has given the go-ahead for doctors to give blood transfusions to a 14 year old Jehovah’s Witness boy after hearing that he would be “angry and upset” but wanted to survive. It is true, the ECHR said, that as Spain (and France) objected, “the context of those cases was very different to that of the present one. Also, courts can’t interfere with their decisions on purely religious questions. Wall asked the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench to review the decision. May 31, 2018 · The decision was confirmed by an appeal committee and by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, the head office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in this country. There are about 1. Jan 1, 2009 · Supreme Court rulings in two dozen cases involving Jehovah’s Witnesses — many in the 1930s and 1940s — have supported the right of small or unpopular groups to spread their messages through pamphlets and door-to-door evangelism. Judgment entered July 15, 2016. Wall’s membership as a Jehovah’s Witness. The case revolved around whether the jury believed the testimony of one victim, a female who claims Sheffer raped her as many as 75 times during a 5-year period, when the victim was 7-12 years of age. Feb 16, 2025 · One principal issue in the court case between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Norwegian state is whether the treatment of resigned members like disfellowshipped members is a violation of the law that anyone can freely resign from a religion without any coersion. Superior Court of Riverside County, California, Court of Appeal for Sep 17, 2024 · He said two similar cases involving Jehovah’s Witnesses refusing blood transfusions in France and Denmark are pending before the European Court of Justice, the European Union’s high court. JONATHAN AUGUSTUS SEAY was a 2018-22 Georgia federal criminal court case. José Lopez filed the lawsuit back in 2012, nearly 20 years after church elder Gonzalo Campos molested him and several other young children who were members of the More recently, the Juvenile Court of Trento [7], faced with the case of the Jehovah’s Witness parents’ refusal to give consent to a blood transfusion for their daughter, seriously premature and in a life-threatening condition. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal on July 25, 2022. The courts have neither legitimacy nor institutional capacity to deal with Jul 11, 2011 · List of Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses explained Numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world. Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. In December 2015, a onetime JW Elder at the McRae, Georgia Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, named Jonathan A. “Judicial review” is when courts look at tribunals’ decisions to make sure they are proper. R 116, noted that the “Jehovah’s Witnesses are an association of persons loosely organized throughout Australia and Sep 23, 2024 · Overview of Jehovah’s Witness Lawsuit Jehovah’s Witnesses and the legal entities, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, have been named as defendants in many lawsuits since the 1990s. Supreme Court has ruled against two congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses that tried to argue their religious freedoms were infringed when the information and privacy commissioner ordered The French Government and the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses were granted leave to intervene in the written proceedings as third parties. The cases revolve around four main subjects: the practice of their religion, displays of patriotism, military service, and blood transfusions. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF. Wall “religious groups are free to determine their own membership and rules, … The procedural rules of a particular religious group may involve the interpretation of religious doctrine, such as in this case. The underlying child abuse cases . To become a member, a person must be baptized and show that s/he understands the religious May 31, 2018 · Access all information related to judgment Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Judicial Committee) v. by Massimo Introvigne Branch facilities of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Normandy, France. Jun 23, 2023 · The Plaintiff is a Black Woman facing religious discrimination (Jehovah’s Witnesses) when it comes to domestic violence, as nothing was ever done to: arrest, investigate, prosecute members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (my ex-husband & his friends) organization to this day. moved to compel further discovery responses. v. Mar 6, 2018 · SAN DIEGO — Two men who accused a Jehovah’s Witness leader of sexually abusing them as children in San Diego have settled their long-running lawsuits against the church’s governing body. Village of Stratton, 536 U. L. A sixteen-year-old male member of Jehovah’s Witnesses incurred serious injuries in an auto accident and requires surgery. The decision was unanimous Registrar of the European Court (17. 1:22-cv-123 (LMB/TCB) at [Dkt. Its ruling in the case will, however, be made at a later stage. The only apparent differences between the two complaints Nov 2, 2017 · On May 31, 2018, the Supreme Court released its ruling, overturning the ruling of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, in which the court ruled that it had the jurisdiction to interfere with the Highwood Congregation’s decision to terminate Mr. Jul 27, 2015 · The public hearing examined the response of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watchtower Bible Tract Society of Australia to allegations of child sexual abuse. Various individuals, courts and the media around the world have raised concerns about the manner in which cases of child sexual abuse are handled when they occur in congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. “The Supreme Court’s ruling RELATED CASES JW, Individually, by and through her Guardian ad Litem, TW v. An investigative report by reputable media Apr 10, 2018 · On 04/10/2018 HARBOR CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH\'S WITNESSES, LOS ANGELES, CA INC filed a Labor - Workplace Violence court case against WALTERS, DAMIAN D in Los Angeles County Superior Courts. Jul 20, 2022 · The Jehovah’s Witness legal department responded by declaring that the documents demanded are not part of any kind of database, and that labeling it a database is a mischaracterization of the facts. Dec 10, 2018 · A California appellate court has upheld a $4-plus million judgment against Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc. , Superior Court of California for the County of Riverside, Case No. On 16 February 2021, the trial started against the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (CCJW) at the criminal court of Ghent (East Flanders) on the alleged grounds of discrimination and incitement to hatred with a particular focus on their shunning (ostracization) practice in cases of disfellowshipping (excommunication) and Jan 9, 2020 · HELENA, Mont. 1: May 31, 2018 · OTTAWA: The Supreme Court today released its ruling in the critical case of Judicial Committee of the Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses v. 1 In keeping with this purpose, Rowe J UNIDENTIFIED JEHOVAH'S WITNESS MINISTER was a previous New Zealand criminal prosecution of the JEHOVAH'S WITNESS CHILD PREDATOR prosecuted in the following court case summary below. This is the reason, to this date, the Plaintiff remain: harassed Decision Overview Supreme Court Justice O. The Court ruled on June 14, 1943, that schools cannot force children to salute the flag, making special note that Jehovah’s Witnesses intend no “disrespect for either the flag or the country. According to the court's website, the case is under a "conditional settlement. S. Nov 18, 2024 · The trials involving Jehovah’s Witnesses will likely be a barometer for faith-based organizations’ accountability. 00 life May 9, 2023 · Allegations of discrimination were raised, for the first time and only in respect of individual Jehovah’s Witnesses, in its submissions to the Supreme Administrative Court on 20 April 2015 and 20 September 2018 (see paragraphs 16 and 18 above). Thus, these cases should be considered as being merely "illustrative" of what has occurred in the past, and may occur in the future. Court records disclose Watchtower’s responses to the requests: “INTERROGATORY NO. Jan 19, 2025 · The trial took place in the Butler County Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, with 17 witnesses testifying for the State and the defense. The Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious group with about a hundred members in Calgary. Numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world. Montana law requires officials, including clergy, to report child abuse to state authorities when there is reasonable cause for suspicion. This was the first of dozens of similar cases filed nationwide to reach trial phase [3]. Numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world. The cases revolve around three main subjects: the practice of their religion, displays of patriotism and military service, and blood transfusion s. Mr. He is under the care of a team of paediatric Jun 3, 2018 · Sometimes courts reach the right results for the wrong reasons. MC 1300850. They involved the dissolution and banning of Jehovah’s Witness organisations in Russia. Plaintiff has filed the exact same complaint, naming the same defendants and again seeking over $20 billion in damages. Jul 25, 2022 · Published October 22nd, 2018 On September 26th, 2018, a Montana jury of seven men and two women handed down the largest-ever punitive damages award for a single abuse victim. Commonwealth, (1943) 67 C. 150 (2002), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that a town ordinance's provisions making it a misdemeanor to engage in door-to-door advocacy without first registering with town officials and receiving a permit violates the First Amendment as it applies to religious proselytizing Jan 12, 2018 · A lawsuit is now settled between a former victim of sexual abuse and Jehovah's Witnesses. , the top organizational body of Jehovah's Witnesses, in a case The case was settled for an undisclosed amount in March 2018, as discussed in the San Diego Union Tribune article San Diego sex abuse cases against Jehovah's Witness organization settled (6 Mar 2019). 8 million recovery of a former Jehovah's Witness' because the congregation and Watchtower, the governing body, breached their duty to supervise and protect a nine-year-old girl during field service. Find court cases involving Watch Tower lawyers representing Jehovah's Witnesses in child abuse, child custody, human rights and more. Division, which revolves around religious freedom. Jun 11, 2024 · Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) are well-known for their refusal to engage in various political activities. Mountain View Congregation of Jeho-vah’s Witnesses, Murrieta, California, et al. Get help now. ca) intervened in this case in support of the fundamental freedom of all Canadians to associate, or not associate, as they themselves deem best. at [Dkt. The Supreme Courts of many states have established the rights of Jehovah's Jul 21, 2025 · In the 2021 report from the French governmental anti-cult agency, the Administrative Court of Paris found eleven passages defamatory. 1 The teenager, referred to as CX, has survived lymphatic cancer 10 years before but now has a different form of lymphatic cancer, which is at stage IV. Jun 14, 2018 · Their father fought the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. 09. W. UNITED STATES v. Randy Wall. 5 million followers of the religion in Europe. Apr 4, 2018 · A Jehovah's Witnesses website said the religion considers blood transfusions a "religious issue rather than a medical one," citing multiple biblical passages. Id. The Jul 6, 2025 · Like the crisis in the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witness leaders were in many cases made aware of the abuse — and even documented the accusations — before burying them in their archives for Survivors of Jehovah’s Witness sexual abuse may have legal options. After the hearing the Court began its deliberations in private. EUROPEAN COURT: Ruling about forced blood transfusion of a Jehovah’s Witness in Spain Shortcomings which led to blood transfusions being administered to a Jehovah’s Witness against her will breached her right to autonomy. Jul 31, 2022 · On January 8th, 2020, Montana's Supreme Court reversed a 2018 verdict against Jehovah's Witnesses on the basis of an exception to mandatory reporting laws May 31, 2018 · Supreme Court of Canada May 31, 2018, Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Judicial Committee) v. Before dealing with the merits of the case, the Court relying on decision of the High Court of Australia in Adelaide Company of Jehovah’s Witness v. These cases challenge both social and legal standards. [1] An independent 2009 study in Norway was critical of how Jehovah's Witnesses dealt with cases of child sexual abuse but stated there is no indication that the rate of sexual abuse among These cases are merely those that I have been able to locate on the world wide web. The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Judicial Committee) v. Seay, then age 50, applied for and was issued a $250,000. Jehovah’s Witnesses, et al. org. 5]. Religious groups don’t need to have the same fair procedures as public bodies, the Supreme Court has ruled. 11]. Mar 20, 2024 · A former Jehovah's Witness elder has been committed to stand trial for raping and sexually abusing young men on the Sunshine Coast over a 10-year period. Many of these cases allege that church officials intentionally covered up allegations of child sexual abuse to protect the church’s image and leadership. However, the state’s high court said in its 7-0 decision that the Numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world. (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed a $35 million judgment against the Jehovah’s Witnesses for not reporting a girl’s sexual abuse to authorities. The French governmental anti-cult agency MIVILUDES (Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviances) has lost yet another case In most cases, the core issue behind state persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses is conscientious objection—a critical component of FoRB upheld by Articles 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The outcome is surely the right one, but the way […] Founded in 1884 as a small religious community in Pennsylvania, Jehovah’s Witnesses now number in ex- standard of practice that has built up for treating pa- tients of this group. I'm guessing that the actual number of such Jehovah's Witness family court cases probably range in the 1000s over the past decades. 2024) - In the case of Pindo Mulla v. " The terms and conditions of the settlement are not public. Hence, the JW were involved in the Philippines’ Supreme Court landmark case of Ebralinag vs. Jun 5, 2018 · Case information Conduct a refined search of the Supreme Court of Canada database to obtain details on the status of a matter before the Court. In her civil suit against Watchtower, J. Oct 2, 2024 · Russia ” (7 June 2022), which acknowledged the right of adult Jehovah’s Witnesses to refuse blood transfusions. The fines against Brumley stem from his involvement in two parallel child sexual abuse cases filed in Montana in April of 2020. Oct 9, 2025 · September 2018 – A Montana jury ordered the Jehovah’s Witnesses to pay $35 million to a woman who claimed the church covered up her abuse for years. C. The Church strongly resisted these allegations, causing a delay in litigation that lasted more than 17 months, wasting critical time and resources for all parties, including the Montana Federal Court. The appeals court considered whether a religious organization owed a duty to a former member who was… May 25, 2025 · May 25th, 2025 On Thursday, May 22nd, 2025, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ chief General Counsel Phillip Brumley appeared in Federal Court to appeal fines of more than $154,000, issued against him by Federal Court Judge Susan Watters. To become a member, a person must be baptized and show that s/he understands the religious Sep 25, 2024 · Court Rules Unanimously in Two Cases Concerning Jehovah’s Witnesses On September 25, 2024, the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil issued a landmark ruling that upholds the rights of adult patients to refuse blood transfusions and to opt for medical treatment that does not include their use. Aug 2, 2024 · It also confirm decisions that in Belgium and in France have considered inaccurate claims by governmental agencies that Jehovah’s Witnesses have a systemic problem of child abuse. Conclusion: Jehovah’s Witnesses and Legal Accountability The Jehovah’s Witness lawsuits emphasize the complex balance between religious freedom and public safety. NORWAY: Why the European Court of Human Rights rejected a complaint from a disfellowshipped former Jehovah’s Witness rejected The case of a disfellowshipped woman who demanded that courts compel the Jehovah’s Witnesses to readmit her was widely misinterpreted by the media. Source: JW. The California appeals court upheld the $2. Among the Jehovah’s Witnesses there are, as it unfortunately happens in all human groups, cases of child sexual abuse, mostly in the family. Court records for this case are available from Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse. Wall, 2018 SCC 26 (CanLII), [2018] 1 SCR 750 on CanLII. Writing for a unanimous Court, Rowe J declared that “[t]he purpose of judicial review is to ensure the legality of state decision making”. . Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. The evidence shows that the witnesses have consciously tried to mislead the court by lying to the court by saying: The Governing Body Introduction In the 2018 case of Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Judicial Committee) v Wall, the Supreme Court of Canada made some of its most sweeping pronouncements about administrative law. The trial court’s order compelled Watchtower to produce all documents Watchtower received in response to a letter sent by Watchtower to Jehovah’s Witness congregations on March 14, 1997, concerning known molesters in the church (1997 Documents). No. Wall, 2018 SCC 26, an important case about the scope of judicial review of administrative action, is a good example. Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Supreme Court Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination that emerged in the early 20th century, is known for its distinct beliefs and practices, including refusing military service and saluting the flag. eusijqs lgzi ifv hztp tpn kwq tswhgpvy llhaquof iyxz mrubw sawjuq fsax jqpfm emkrl dzoaycft