October 23, 2026 - 4:34 pm

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a woman’s lawsuit alleging that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Las Vegas allowed a priest to sexually abuse her as a child.

In an order granting the church’s motion to dismiss, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey wrote that Jane Doe C.H.’s negligence claims were “rife with deficiencies.”

“Doe’s negligence theories based on the church’s alleged duty to protect her fail because she has not shown that the law recognizes such a duty in these circumstances,” Dorsey stated.

The order said no court has recognized a general duty for churches to protect members from crimes committed by fellow congregants solely because they belong to the church.

The judge added that the lawsuit did not allege the abuse occurred under special circumstances — such as a church-sponsored youth group or camp — in which parents relinquish control of their child to the church.

The alleged victim, who is not named in the complaint, had filed the case…