BREAKING: New lawsuit against Mormon church says temple worker sexually assaulted a man during 1984 anointing ritual in Los Angeles Temple, and plaintiff was "led to believe that the molestation [was] part of his anointing" until 2024, when he heard a podcast where ex-Mormons shared similar stories.

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 27 against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a man says he was sexually assaulted by a church volunteer during an anointing ceremony at the Los Angeles California Temple in 1984.

Case report: https://floodlit.org/a/b165/

The case (2:25-cv-00703-RGK-E) was filed in the Central California District Court.

The plaintiff's name appears in the civil complaint; we'll call him "William" here to help maintain his privacy.

The Mormon church is the only named defendant in this case.

Two temple workers are referred to in the complaint. We'll call them Doe 1 and Doe 2.

Doe 1 was a temple worker who performed William's temple anointing, during which he allegedly sexually assaulted William.

Doe 2 was another temple worker who was allegedly present in the room during the incident.

William was approximately 19 years old at the time of the alleged sexual assault.

Summary of allegations:

  • In 1984, William attended the Los Angeles LDS temple in order to "get anointed." The complaint describes the anointing ceremony as "a religious service within the L.D.S. CHURCH where pure oil is placed on the head of a member of the L.D.S. CHURCH in order to receive a blessing."
  • At the time, William was a new member of the Mormon church.
  • When William arrived at the temple, Doe 2 led William "to a locker room where he was instructed to undress, before being given a white poncho to put on. After undressing, [Doe 2] led [William] into another room where [Doe 1] was waiting."
  • Doe 1 was "an older man, who held a leadership role within the L.D.S. CHURCH."
  • Doe 1 "proceeded to rub oil on [William's] body, while whispering things that [William] could not hear."
  • "Under the pretense of performing a blessing on [William], [Doe 1] put his hands under his poncho and fondled [William's] genitals. [Doe 2] was present in the room while this took place." The complaint says "this abuse took in the full view of" Doe 2.
  • "After [Doe 1] fondled [William], [Doe 2] led [William] back into the locker room where he was instructed to put on his 'garments,' a special kind of undergarments to be worn by members of the L.D.S. CHURCH at all times."
  • After he got dressed, [William] was led into the main room of the temple, with pews, where he and others who had also been anointed that day were seated."
  • "Once everyone was gathered an individual from the L.D.S. CHURCH played a video about the beliefs of the L.D.S. CHURCH and the importance of the anointing they had all just experienced."
  • "This same individual then ordered all of the individuals to dress in robes and hats and spoke about the importance of following the rules of the faith, set forth by the L.D.S. CHURCH, in order to get access to heaven."
  • "Then this individual spoke about the importance of not telling anyone of what had taken place during their anointing service or speaking of what they had discussed in the temple.
  • "The speech stressed the importance of not telling anyone of the secrets of the L.D.S. CHURCH, and how doing so would result in the individual loosing access to heaven, and instead being sent to the 'outer darkness' which is what the L.D.S. CHURCH uses to refer to hell."
  • "[William] left his anointing at the L.D.S. CHURCH temple in Westwood, Los Angeles believing that the abuse he had suffered was a part of the anointing service, and in fear to communicate with anyone what took place for fear of the spiritual repercussions that he had been told."
  • "In late 2024, while listening to a podcast hosted by former members of the Mormon church, [William] realized that the touching of genitals was, in fact, not at all a part of the anointing service. While hearing others discuss their own anointment blessing, [William] discovered that what he had experienced had not been part of a religious experience, but rather abuse."
  • "L.D.S. CHURCH actions, practices, and customs encompass a culture that prioritizes protecting predators, and the financial interests of L.D.S. CHURCH, over protecting innocent victims of sexual abuse."

Related links:

We will continue to monitor and report on this and over 100 other ongoing criminal and civil cases involving alleged sex crimes by Mormon leaders or members, or failure by Mormon leaders to report abuse or protect victims.