Entities responsible for the well-being and education of children are obligated to safeguard the young individuals in their care, encompassing the imperative to shield them from sexual abuse.

If your child has experienced sexual abuse within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you and your family might have the opportunity to pursue a civil lawsuit against the Church.

In the realm of educational institutions, each Seventh-day Adventist school, academy, and boarding school is mandated to take every possible measure to shield children from abuse.

This same legal standard applies to Church congregations. Pastors, Deacons, and employees are responsible for fostering children's spiritual growth, and at the same time, protecting them from harm..

According to its website, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has more than 18 million members worldwide.

In the past two decades, at least 525 people have lodged claims alleging child sexual abuse in the church, according to a report last year from its risk management organization.

Two individuals who claim to have been subjected to molestation in the 1970s by a youth group leader in Oregon have filed a lawsuit against the Seventh-day Adventist church, seeking $13.5 million in damages.

The legal action, initiated on Tuesday, alleges that the church knowingly appointed a convicted pedophile, Leslie Bovee, to oversee a Seventh-day Adventist youth group in Veneta, Oregon, in 1972.

Despite being aware of Bovee's prior conviction for molesting three boys, the lawsuit contends that church officials failed to remove him from the position in response to allegations of abuse.

Another example is the now-defunct Miracle Meadows boarding school in rural West Virginia, which has settled lawsuits alleging students were beaten, raped, starved, and held in solitary confinement for a record $100 million.

Attorneys alleged hundreds of students were subjected to “horrifying and unspeakable forms of sexual, physical and psychological mistreatment” at the boarding school in the Appalachian community of Salem.

An additional lawsuit has been filed against the Southern California Conference and Glendale Adventist Academy, alleging intentional negligence and concealment of sexual abuse incidents involving students.

The lawsuit reveals that:

• Two teachers from Glendale Academy have been convicted of child sexual abuse over the past nine years, some of which occurred on campus;
• In 2005-2006, an adult male teacher sexually harassed multiple minor female students and
• In 1997-1998, another male teacher engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor student.

The lawsuit, dated June 30, 2022, targets Brett Mohr, a convicted child molester and former Glendale Adventist Academy teacher, who is currently serving a 30-year sentence in state prison.

Mohr was convicted in December 2021 on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

We believe all victims who have experienced sexual abuse at a Seventh Day Adventist School by a staff member or employee should receive justice and potential compensation, beginning with a free, private case review with our experienced legal team.