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Napans' claims against church may go to trial
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
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After more than two years of legal wrangling, claims in Napa County Superior Court that the Jehovah's Witnesses church failed to stop incidents of child sex abuse here are inching toward trial.

According to an Aug. 14 court order signed by Napa County Superior Court Judge Raymond Guadagni, lawyers shepherding several cases against the church, involving plaintiffs from multiple counties, are finally on the cusp of setting a 2007 trial date. Previous court hearings had been marked by disagreement over legal procedures and decisions by several out-of-county plaintiffs to drop their lawsuits against the church.
In the two Napa cases, people identified only as Charissa W., Nicole D. and Tabitha H. have filed suit against the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Watchtower Bible and Tract Society -- the administrative organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses -- claiming church policy did not protect them from being sexually abused as minors. They claim to have been abused by Edward Bedoya Villegas, a convicted child molester who is now deceased but at one time was affiliated with the church.
7 comment(s)

Danny Haszard wrote on Sep 5, 2006 3:25 AM:

" Jehovah's Witnesses child abuse pedophile cover-up Regarding-clergy sexual abuse in "other" religions. Pedophilia is covered up in the Jehovah's Witnesses on a scale worst than the Catholic priest scandal.Not only do they deny it but the Watchtower has instructed the Kingdom Hall elders to go after all whistle-blowers. The JW's exploit an obscure 2,000 year old bible passage and demand that there be TWO witnesses to every act of child abuse committed by a Jehovah's Witness.This fosters a code of silence and a "pedophile's paradise" in the Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah Witness pedophiles go door to door as part of their faith to recruit converts! The 'Two Witness' Take-Down is a subterfuge exploited by Jehovah's Witnesses that is selectively enforced by elders who play favorites and fast & loose with the truth,an excuse to ignore and suppress evidence at whim. Learn more http://www.silentlambs.org Jehovah's Witnesses children's advocacy site "

vineyalan@hotmail.com wrote on Sep 5, 2006 2:26 PM:

" This really is good news that the Watchtower will soon be taken to account for all the cover ups re. child abuse. Let's hope the court takes a strong stand and ensures that Watchtower is severely punished for all the heartache it has caused to hundreds of people "

Christian Peper wrote on Sep 5, 2006 5:53 PM:

" The Jehovah Witness Organization has a long history of stealing lives and covering up child sexual assault. It is good news that finally the public is taking notice of the organizations crimes. What can the reader do? Tell friends and neighbors about how the organization covers up sexual crimes against children. "

Mary K. wrote on Sep 6, 2006 1:15 PM:

" The Watchtower must be held accountable for it's child abuse coverups. "

Lisa Lockwood wrote on Sep 8, 2006 10:28 AM:

" Thank you for keeping us updated. This means a lot to me and the other victims of the Watchtower's policy on child abuse. They use silence to hide their dirty laundry. Break their silence as often as possible and keep it public so they can't hide from the problem. "

Marcela wrote on Sep 8, 2006 12:47 PM:

" Sexual abuse in the Jehovah's Witnesses church happens for the same reason we see it in the Catholic church and that is that unless you have conjugal sexual relations, you are prohibited from any form of self sexual release. It is viewed as an immoral sin and ultimatly grounds for expelling members. Most of the pedophiles in this church are single men who have much build up sexual tension. These are the same men that serve as "mentors" in the church for the children. God forgive them! I was expelled for confronting them. My life is well now that I am not being abused. "

Lisa Gonzalez wrote on Oct 24, 2006 3:13 PM:

" What gets me most is those in congregation s are not allowed to view this stuff. And the Org heads any questions off with the usual "this is an attack on Jehovah and the Org". It's the same thing that they do when peeps are protesting outside the conventions with pamplets and fliers. They have thier followers preped for this, and so brainwashed that it doens't get thru to them! AWAKE!!! "

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