Sex Abuse Litigation

All institutions

Jehovah's Witnesses (Watchtower)

13 reports indexed, newest first.

January 2025

  1. Philadelphia congregation member sentenced in grand jury abuse case

    David Balosa received two to four years in prison after a jury convicted him of assaulting a child in 1998.

    Conviction Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, PennsylvaniaReported by Philadelphia Inquirer

June 2024

  1. Former elder convicted of abusing three children in Lancaster County

    A jury convicted Norman Aviles-Garriga on all 12 counts in a case brought from the grand jury investigation.

    Conviction Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, PennsylvaniaReported by Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General

August 2023

  1. UK Charity Commission closes nine-year inquiry into Watch Tower safeguarding

    The regulator said Watch Tower's legal challenges constrained its inquiry and found it had not been as transparent as it should have been.

    Investigation Jehovah's WitnessesUnited Kingdom, EnglandReported by Civil Society

July 2023

  1. Pennsylvania authorities charge five more in Jehovah's Witnesses abuse probe

    The attorney general's office filed charges against five additional current or former members.

    Criminal charges Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, PennsylvaniaReported by Religion News Service (AP)

May 2023

  1. Dutch prosecutors to try Jehovah's Witness member on decades-old abuse charges

    Prosecutors charged a member over alleged abuse in the 1990s, following a 2018 raid on church offices and a legal fight over internal records.

    Criminal charges Jehovah's WitnessesNetherlandsReported by NL Times

April 2023

  1. More charges put focus on Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of abuse

    New grand jury charges in Pennsylvania renewed scrutiny of elders' internal handling of abuse reports.

    Criminal charges Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, PennsylvaniaReported by Religion News Service (AP)

October 2022

  1. Pennsylvania AG charges four Jehovah's Witnesses members with abusing children

    Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the first charges from the grand jury probe, involving alleged abuse of 19 children.

    Criminal charges Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, PennsylvaniaReported by Philadelphia Inquirer

June 2020

  1. Australia's PM condemns Jehovah's Witnesses and others refusing to join redress scheme

    The government threatened funding and charity-status consequences for institutions, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, that declined to join the national redress scheme.

    Policy change Jehovah's WitnessesAustraliaReported by SBS News

February 2020

  1. Pennsylvania grand jury investigating Jehovah's Witnesses abuse handling

    The Inquirer reported a statewide grand jury was examining how the church handled child abuse allegations.

    Investigation Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, PennsylvaniaReported by Philadelphia Inquirer

January 2020

  1. Montana Supreme Court reverses $35 million verdict against Jehovah's Witnesses

    The court held the church was exempt from Montana's mandatory reporting law under a clergy exception.

    Verdict Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, MontanaReported by KPBS (NPR)

August 2019

  1. New York Child Victims Act opens door to suits against Jehovah's Witnesses leadership

    Suits naming the Governing Body were filed under New York's lookback window, alleging elders mishandled abuse reports.

    Lawsuit filed Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, New YorkReported by Newsweek

September 2018

  1. Montana jury orders Jehovah's Witnesses to pay $35 million in abuse cover-up case

    A jury found the church liable for failing to report a member's abuse of a child and awarded about $35 million.

    Verdict Jehovah's WitnessesUnited States, MontanaReported by NBC News

July 2015

  1. Royal commission told Jehovah's Witnesses never reported 1,006 alleged abusers to police

    Australia's Royal Commission heard that none of 1,006 alleged perpetrators recorded by the church since 1950 were reported to authorities.

    Investigation Jehovah's WitnessesAustralia, New South WalesReported by Reuters (via Gulf Times)