$28 MILLION Jury Award to Watchtower Child Sex Abuse Victim!

UPDATE: Friday, June 15, 2012, 9:46 PM:
The early reports last night were for $20 Million & $1 Dollar Punitive Damages solely against the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society & the North Fremont Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses because the jury felt they had acted with malice against Plaintiff, Candace Conti. It has been confirmed since then that the actual Punitive Damages are for $21 Million & $1 Dollar, in addition to the $7 Million for Compensatory Damages. Therefore, the Grand Total is $28 Million & $1 Dollar. Please refer to the below Comments Section for all Updates.

***

Friday, June 15, 2012, 2:17 AM EDT:

This is huge & “hot off the press,” barely in the main stream news yet:

Wed., 6/13/12, an Alameda County, California, Jury awarded 26-year-old Candace Conti the sum of $7 MILLION for damages >> including for “MALICE” >> perpetrated by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York HQ, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Local North Fremont, California JW Congregation, & the JW-molester, Jonathan Kendrick, who abused & molested Ms. Conti for two years when she was 9-years-old. Read about that here:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/227017/1/Watchtower-found-guilty-ruled-to-pay-7-million-to-1-victim-wow

And here is a copy of the actual $7 Million Jury Award:
http://apps.alameda.courts.ca.gov/domainweb/service?Servicename=DomainWebService&PageName=Image&ID=2&Parent=19343264&Action=27471875

Punitive Damages were to be decided the next day (Thurs., 6/14/12). The WT tried to have punitive damages dismissed but their request was DENIED. See photo (from top thread link):

The total for punitive damages was decided by the jury (& released late yesterday, Thurs., 6/14/12) to the tune of an additional $20 MILLION & $1 DOLLARS! Read about that announcement here:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227035/1/Bill-Bowen-Just-Posted-This-on-Facebook-Moments-Ago

Grand Total Awarded by Jury Trial to Ms. Conti vs. Watchtower, et al: $27 MILLION & $1 DOLLARs!! WOW!

All prior WT sex abuse lawsuits in the past several years were SETTLED with confidentiality agreements, so there were little details & exposure. But this being a public JURY award, more details will be readily available in short measure.

The $27 Million sum is to be paid out as follows:
–Pervert Kendrick 60%
–Local Congregation 13%
–Watchtower HQ 27%

From the looks of Kendrick (photo at below Silentlambs site), he has zero money, & the WT will probably appeal, etc. But Barbara Anderson reported that with Candace it was never about the money, but getting the WT policy re JW sex abusers into the broad daylight!

Barbara Anderson (above, with husband Joe), former JW & WT writer/researcher, who lived/worked at WT HQ in decades past, & who has worked with Bill Bowen from the beginning of Silentlambs.org in year 2000 to expose the WT/JW pedophile problem), wrote in the first thread at the top, that the WT attorney actually shed tears during the jury trial when proclaiming, “Why should the WT Society have to pay due to the bad actions of one man?” (or words to that effect). Crocodile tears?

To answer that attorney, the reason is: Because it is WT POLICY to keep child sex abuse SECRET! (Duh!)

Anderson wrote that the jury literally rolled their eyes at some of the things the WT said when presenting their defense. She promised to elaborate more about that at another time.

All exJW sites, blogs, forums, & Silentlambs.org, etc., will be posting followups & details so keep abreast via google if interested.

Silentlambs’ page re this lawsuit (photos, press release, documents, etc.): http://www.silentlambs.org/OaklandLawsuit.htm

Barbara Anderson’s website – Watchtower Documents LLC:
http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/

And congrats to Ms. Conti & all parties who helped her bring her case to this amazing & satisfying conclusion!

Circa Year 2000: Bill Bowen, above, now-former JW & JW “elder,” getting advice from WT HQ when a pedophile was discovered in his own Kentucky congregation. Their terrible advice (& “famous last words” as exposed on Dateline NBC in 2002) is what set Bill on his new & unexpected life path as founder of Silentlambs Org.

9/27/2002: Group gathers, above, for the first ever Silentlambs March against the WT HQ in Brooklyn.

Bill, still going strong:
Silentlambs.org:
http://www.silentlambs.org/

~~~~~

54 Comments

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54 responses to “$28 MILLION Jury Award to Watchtower Child Sex Abuse Victim!

  1. UPDATE:

    6/15/2012 by AndersonsInfo:
    “I just got off the phone with the plaintiff and unless I heard wrong, the shocking figure was 21 million and 1 dollar in punitive damages. Add that to 7 million yesterday and the total is 28 million and 1 dollar. There will be more information forthcoming.” –Barbara (Anderson)
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227035/1/Bill-Bowen-Just-Posted-This-on-Facebook-Moments-Ago

    Like

  2. Actual trial transcripts may not be available right away.  I worked part-time for a court reporter in the early 1980’s & though I’m sure things have changed since then (modernized, streamlined), the way it was done back then was like so:

    1.  She sat in court hearings, trials, depositions, etc. & typed the proceedings into her little court reporter machine that produced results in a type of shorthand.

    2.  She then would read (dictate) from her machine’s “shorthand” into a dictaphone & in “plain English.”

    3.  She would then drop off her dictaphone tapes (cassette tapes back then) at my place (I worked from home).

    4.  I would then type up/transcribe her dictation onto actual paper, creating the “official” documents.

    In other words, the process took awhile.  The process could be totally different these days, I don’t know.

    ***

    In the meantime, to access currently available court records on this case:

    “Try these steps,
    1) Click this link, http://apps.alameda.courts.ca.gov/domainweb/html/index.html

    2) Click the ‘Case Summary’ link in the 3rd paragraph.

    3) Enter case number HG11558324

    4) In the left column, select a category.  ‘Register of Actions’ is a good one, but here several others to look at.

    5) Many details of the legal proceedings on ‘Register of Actions’ page.  Scroll to the bottom for the Verdict.”

    Tip from:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227035/3/Bill-Bowen-Just-Posted-This-on-Facebook-Moments-Ago?partial=True

    Like

  3. Per the above same forum thread, someone wrote:

    “In the plaintiff’s appeal for damages the smoking gun is a letter from the [WT HQ] Governing Body [GB] to all bodies of elders [BOE] dated July 1 1989, instructing elders to keep all information regarding child abuse secret.”

    Another person posted this link which includes the text & PDF of that 7/1/1989 WT HQ GB letter:

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/122674/1/ALL-LURKING-ELDERS-PLEASE-PLEASE-READ-Make-a-difference

    Like

  4. More interesting tidbits:

    6/15/2012 by Juan Viejo2:  “Just remember, one of the very first members of the modern Governing Body was a pedophile. He was around for years and protected by the Organization in spite of the clear evidence of what he was doing.

    “Also, Nancy J. Sage’s book, Going Undercover to Rescue My Daughter, currently under revision and updating (original still available on Amazon.com), tells the story of how her daughter and granddaughter were abused by her son-in-law, an elder. The last I’ve heard, he is still an active JW and has held elder positions even since her book came out several years ago. Her story clearly shows how the Watchtower uses the “two witness rule” to effectively stymie any punishment or exposure of pedophiles within the organization.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227035/2/Bill-Bowen-Just-Posted-This-on-Facebook-Moments-Ago?partial=True

    Like

  5. Back to the current Candace Conti vs. Watchtower case:

    6/15/2012 by Joe Grundy:  “… As far as I can see from the court documents, the claim for punitive damages was only against WTBTS of NY.  Thus their ‘share’ is 27% of $7m plus $21m = $21.89.  The financial data they filed with the court suggests that there should be no problem collecting that.

    “It also suggests that had all defendants been worthy of pursuing for punitive damages, the jury had in mind a figure of $80m or so.”

    Comment From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227035/2/Bill-Bowen-Just-Posted-This-on-Facebook-Moments-Ago?partial=True

    Like

  6. 6/15/12 @ 12:30pm, MSNBC:
    U.S. NEWS:

    Jehovah’s Witnesses ordered to pay more than $20 million to woman who said she was sexually abused
    By James Eng, msnbc.com
    http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/15/12225753-jehovahs-witnesses-ordered-to-pay-more-than-20-million-to-woman-who-said-she-was-sexually-abused

    One snip from that article:

    “This is the first case I know of where a church has been hit with liability involving a rank-and-file member,” Jim McCabe, the attorney for the JW Fremont Congregation, told msnbc.com.

    TPR Note:  Can you believe he said to the press, describing plaintiff Candace Conti, as a “rank & file member”?  How tacky!  R&F or “rank & file” is somewhat of a humorously-derogatory slang term JWs use among themselves to differentiate between the so-called “Great Crowd” [earthly] class vs. the so-called “Anointed 144,000” [heavenly] class, &/or more simply, to differentiate between the peon JW members & the elite higher-ups like the Governing Body.  It really sounds TACKY for a so-called attorney, who is most likely a R&F himself, to refer to Ms. Conti as a mere “rank & file member.”  As if that even matters?  Shows how deep the brainwashing goes.  You’d think an attorney would have better sense when talking to the press!

    Like

  7. Somewhat related:  Recent Official WT “private” letters/directions to all JW “bodies of elders” (some think these new letters were sent due to the then still-in-progress Conti vs. Watchtower case):

    ***

    “Click the links below, and when you get to sendspace scroll down and click the link inside the long blue box that says: (Click here to start download from sendspace) Ignore all the other buttons and symbols:

    “2012 June Kingdom Ministry
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/skhmhq

    “2012 April 5, BOE
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/zpr0s1

    “2012 April 9, BOE
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/sd7qsc .”

    Comment From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/224432/1/2012-June-Kingdom-Ministry-and-2-BOEs

    Like

  8. Quick Conti vs. WT case summary provided by sir82:

    “In the 1990’s a JW ministerial servant had a history of molesting children. The congregation elders and the WTS knew of this. In the mid-90’s he confessed (thus no need for 2 witnesses) to molesting a 9 year old JW girl. The elders removed him as a MS but did not report the abuse to the police as at the time California law did not require it. The elders, apparently under orders directly from the WTS, did not mention the abuse to anyone else in the congregation.
    “Some time later, the ex-MS abused other children.

    “In 2011 the victim sued the man, the local congregation, and the WTS for the abuse that occurred 17 years earlier.

    “The jury found for the plaintiff, and ordered a payment of $7 million in compensatory damages and $21 million in punitive damages. Most of the compensatory money was charged to the perpetrator, but all of the punitive damages are against the WTS.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/227065/1/Child-Abuse-Case-in-Oakland-Does-anyone-have-a-simple-summary

    Like

  9. Here’s a well-written & very thorough blog post re this case so far:

    6/15/12 @11:26am:

    The Watchtower Punished: Society loses legal battle over child abuse case | JW Survey:
    http://jwsurvey.org/general-information/the-watchtower-punished-society-loses-legal-battle-over-child-abuse-case

    Like

  10. Tried to visit plaintiff Conti’s attorney, Rick Simons’ website to look for a direct link to his press release:

    Furtado, Jaspovice & Simons:
    http://www.fjslaw.com/

    What I got was this error message:

    ***MONITOR–WEB IS ALIVE*** on 10.221.68.25
    ***CHECKING FILES ON LOCAL SERVER***
    Checking d:\data\iis\mailroot\Badmail: No Files Found.
    Checking d:\data\iis\mailroot\Drop: No Files Found.
    Checking d:\data\iis\mailroot\Queue: No Files Found.
    ***FILE CHECK IS OK*** on 10.221.68.25

    *********************************
    Current Server Date/Time: 6/15/2012 6:16:30 PM

    ~~~

    Does that mean they are updating their site?
    –Or are too many people trying to access it?
    –Or did someone hack it?
    I’m no techie so I have no idea.
    PS: Two hours later, my time, it is still showing the same error message.

    Like

  11. 6/15/12 Thread started by Barbara Anderson to provide updates as they become available:

    Plaintiff Awarded in Punitive Damages $21 Million & $1 Dollar; Total Award $28 Million & $1 Dollar: Here’s More Info:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227049/1/Plaintiff-awarded-in-punitive-damages-21M-1-dollar-Total-award-28M-1-dollar-Heres-more-info

    Like

  12. Re: the extra $1 Dollar for Punitive Damages, an explanation from Barbara Anderson, very interesting:

    “The award can be explained as it was decided: separate compensatory and punitive damages. The punitive award is established in law to punish wrongdoing – here, the conscious disregard for others – and deter that conduct in the future. Attorney, Rick Simons, told the jury that an award of three times the compensatory damages was appropriate. (For practical purposes, the higher the award, the higher the vulnerability to appellate attack). The jury respected that, and added the $1 as a clear statement of principle that they wanted to award more – and that the status quo needs to change. Those involved believe the jury would have awarded Candace $100 million if they thought it would be upheld. That’s how egregious and abhorrent they believe the secrecy policy of the Watchtower is.”

    Re: the Jury’s QUICK decision:

    “…the announcement of the jury’s decision for punitive damage wasn’t expected by the press until this morning. It was a surprise for everyone concerned when the jury did a quickie. (I received notification last night between 8 and 9 P.M.) I think it was a bit earlier when the judge was handed the decision.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227049/1/Plaintiff-awarded-in-punitive-damages-21M-1-dollar-Total-award-28M-1-dollar-Heres-more-info

    Like

  13. Re: Legal Definition of “MALICE”:

    From same thread, directly above:

    “I was scanning through the court docs and came across the meaning of “Malice” as to the WTS…. “despicable conduct which is carried on by the defendant with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights and safety of others.” WOW! Powerful stuff!!”

    Like

  14. Re: Who will have to pay what:

    “…the apportionment used for regular (compensatory) damages may not be the same as for punitive damages.  …the special verdict item that triggered punitive damages was that Watchtower acted with malice.”

    The MSNBC article, link further above, spells it out: WT will have to pay the full $21 Mil in punitive damages (but only 27% of the $7 Mil compensatory damages):

    “The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ legal entity, is responsible for the entire punitive damages amount and 40** percent of the compensatory damages, said Rick Simons, attorney for the plaintiff. Sixty percent of the compensatory damages was assessed against Jonathan Kendrick, the man accused of abusing her.”

    **That 40% refers to the 27%/WTBTS plus the 13%/Fremont JW Congregation.

    Like

  15. Re:  Reporting child abuse in California:

    “As ‘clergy,’ the WTS elders are considered ‘mandated reporters’ under California law, i.e., they are legally required to report child abuse.  This link is interesting as it fleshes out the ‘who, what, why, when, how’ of the procedure that should have been followed by the Fremont Congregation:
    http://file.lacounty.gov/lasd/cms1_145191.pdf  .”

    The above person included many excerpts from that law which can be read at the below link:

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227049/3/Plaintiff-awarded-in-punitive-damages-21M-1-dollar-Total-award-28M-1-dollar-Heres-more-info

    Like

  16. Re:  Perp Kendrick, & Fremont Congregation Elders, interesting:

    “…what I found notable was that in one document, the Defendants’ Statement of Facts, it was argued that the incident with the step-daughter in ’93 was unintentional or accidental (touching) yet the perp was removed as a MS. If it was an innocent mistake, why did the elders remove him?

    (TPR Note:  Pfff!  “Accidental Touching” my foot!  That is typical pedophile excuses & only a fool would believe it!)

    “There were also several motions to force the other defendants (the two congo. elders) to answer the questions put to them, namely, why Kendrick was removed as a MS. Whenever the question was asked, the defendants’ counsel objected and instructed that no response should be given on the basis of clergy-penitent confidentiality. The motions to get them to answer were approved (cited precedents in cases with the Catholic church and also if others know of the crime, confidentiality has been broken anyway) but I haven’t found out what their responses were in the end.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227049/3/Plaintiff-awarded-in-punitive-damages-21M-1-dollar-Total-award-28M-1-dollar-Heres-more-info

    Like

  17. This, below, shows how “common sense” gets thrown out the window.  If a Christian has a personal sin or fault they want to share, unload, confess, etc., to fellow believers, fine.  But if that sin involves having HARMED ANOTHER PERSON (battery, rape, molestation, murder, etc.), then the Christian hearing the sin should offer to give the “sinner” a ride to the police station right then & there.  If the sinner refuses, then the other Christian should make it clear that they themselves will report the crime.

    Quote:

    “…From the Watchtower’s Trial Memorandum, page 10, heading V. is titled “The Church Defendants had no legal duty to report child sexual abuse to authorities” and here’s what the WT lawyer had to say, starting on line 26: 

    “In this case, the two elders received a confession in November 1993 from Jonathan Kendrick as stated above. The elders had no legal duty to report the incident to the authorities, because the law at that time did not require ministers to do so. In addition, this confession by Kendrick was received by the elders in the course of the discipline and practice of the Jehovah’s Witness faith and was intended to be kept confidential. As such, it was also privileged and not subject to disclosure in any fashion beyond those dictated by the protocols and procedures of the Jehovah’s Witness faith. The Church Defendants assert that, EVEN IF RECEIVED TODAY, that confession by Kendrick would be privileged.” (caps added).

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227049/4/Plaintiff-awarded-in-punitive-damages-21M-1-dollar-Total-award-28M-1-dollar-Heres-more-info

    Like

  18. Quote from above thread page:

    6/15/2012 by blondie:
    ‘It’s amazing that the WTS hides behind the CLERGY-penitent law in so many states.  Even in the 9-15-12 WT (magazine) the WTS says all religion is soon to be oblierated.  Where does the WTS say the elders are clergy?  Where does the bible, for that matter?”

    Exactly. There is no “clergy class” in Scripture for “all you are brothers,” Christ said. Clergy is the RCC going backwards in time & stealing priests, high priests, & priesthoods from the OLD Testament & forcing it into the NEW. As Paul said, “Let them be accursed”! for dumping OT law practices on the heads of NT saints.

    Like

  19. Interesting, from above same link:

    6/15/2012 by JW GoneBad: “This may  explain why the JW elders are having another Kingdom Ministry School (KMS) beginning November 6, 2012 thru Jan 6, 2013 according to the May 17, 2012 BOE letter…  I’ll bet the basis for a lot of the topics and discussion will relate to lawsuits of this sort that WT is having to deal with.  It just seems like WT has been having a great deal of KMS for the elders lately.  And now another!  There could be some major changes coming down the pipe.”   

    6/15/2012 by sir82: “Yeah, they normally have those elders schools every 3-5 years. This one is coming just 2 years after the last one. I imagine there will be some more “write this in the margins of your books, brothers” type instruction.”

    Funny! The joke is that all “extra-secretive” WTS instructions are given to elders orally & then telling THEM to make their own notes in the margins of THEIR books, lol. That way, WTS can say, “Elder So & So must have misunderstood. We never SAID that.”

    Like

  20. A former cop chimes in re the actions of the Fremont Congregation elders & their WT attorney, Jim McCabe (who was quoted in the MSNBC article, link further above):

    ***

    6/16/12 by Joe Grundy:

    “The elders watched him (pedophile Kendrick) after that”, McCabe said.

    IMHO this illustrates a considerable degree of naivite on McCabe’s (and WT’s) part.  I don’t know whether this was developed by Ms Conti’s attorney, but it’s like waving a red flag.

    Q: Why did they watch him?  It can only be because they considered him a potential danger, to whatever degree, and even if it was on a ‘just in case’ basis it is an acknowledgement that there were grounds for concern.  And ‘grounds for concern’ in child abuse matters demand that a course of action be followed, which clearly and obviously did not happen in this case.

    The defendants can’t have it both ways.  By claiming that ‘they did something about it by watching him’ (my paraphrasing) they put themselves into the position of admitting that they saw danger and failed to deal with it.  I am sure that Ms Conti’s attorney reached for the highlighter when he saw this statement and it will provide very useful material for the appeal which will no doubt follow.  I wouldn’t like to be one of the elders on the stand answering questions on this point, and I’m sure there will be much spluttering, coughing and silent prayers to ‘Beam me up, Scotty’.

    I spent too many years dealing with too many cases of child abuse when I was a police officer for this to wash over me.  And yet this case (and others like it) is in a way far worse because of the involvement of a ‘malicious’ (as held by the jury – absolutely correctly IMO) third party.  That third party is the Jehovah’s Witnesses, whether in its corporate form as WTBTS, the GB, local organisation, the elders and even down to local members of the KH who, I suspect, may have closed their eyes to what was happening (or, in theocratic terms, ‘kept their eyes on Jehovah’ so they didn’t have to notice what was happening around them).

    (I notice, by the way, that on McCabe’s website he’s rather coy about his JW status.  There’s one mention of ‘Watchtower’ on the home page – in other areas of the site there is only mention of ‘voluntary’ and ‘community’ work by him and his second and third sons.  I’ve never been a JW but I was a bit surprised that a prominent, apparently successful JW family wouldn’t make more of their JW-ism.  Isn’t it an opportunity for a ‘fine witness’?  I wonder if he did this job pro-bono.  If so, maybe it reinforces the point that you get what you pay for.)

    ***

    The McCabe Law Firm – About Us:
    http://www.mccabelaw.net/about_us

    Grundy quote is from here:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227049/6/Plaintiff-awarded-in-punitive-damages-21M-1-dollar-Total-award-28M-1-dollar-Heres-more-info

    Like

  21. SF Chronicle & USA Today pick up the story:

    6/16/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses lose big Fremont molest suit” – SanFran Chronicle:
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/15/BAUQ1P2PH2.DTL

    6/16/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses may pay millions to sexual abuse victim” – USA Today:
    http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2012/06/jehovahs-witnesses-to-pay-millions-to-sexual-abuse-victim/1

    Both articles’ text also posted here:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227100/1/Excellent-news-article-re-Candace-Contis-abuse-not-for-the-sensitive-or-tender-hearted

    Like

  22. Barbara Anderson update:

    6/16/2012 by AndersonsInfo:  “…She (Candace) had five telephone conference calls with important media (yesterday, Friday 6/15/12).

    “If you would like to hear an interview with Candace and her attorney, they were on KGO in San Francisco at 5 PM Pacific time yesterday.

    “I’ve heard that AP has picked up the story but haven’t seen the proof. Please let us know if you have seen any articles through AP. When I saw that USA carried the story, I knew that the ball is now rolling.”
     
    Another person provided the KGO link adding this:

    “It looks like it would have been on their/KGO afternoon news.  http://www.kgoam810.com/Article.asp?id=2476761  They keep an hourly archive for 7 days, but it is currently unavailable.”  

    ***

    6/16/2012 by blondie:  “SNAP has cases where lay people of the Catholic Church have been charged and tried and money awarded”:  http://www.snapnetwork.org

    Discussion From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/227100/2/Excellent-news-article-re-Candace-Contis-abuse-not-for-the-sensitive-or-tender-hearted

    Like

  23. More news sources that picked up the story yesterday:

    6/15/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay more than $20 million in Fremont sex abuse case” – San Jose Mercury News:
    http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20867873/jehovahs-witnesses-must-pay-20-million-fremont-sex

    ***

    6/15/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay more than $20 million in Fremont sex abuse case” – Oakland Tribune:
    http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_20867874/jehovahs-witnesses-must-pay-20-million-fremont-sex?refresh

    ***

    6/15/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses Found Guilty In Unprecedented Molestation Case, Must Pay $21 Million” – The Inquisitr:  
    http://www.inquisitr.com/256379/jehovahs-witnesses-found-guilty-in-unprecedented-molestation-case-must-pay-21-million/

    Like

  24. Link discussing JW Fremont Congregation attorney, Jim McCabe, evidently a pretty old guy whose JW conversion story was published in a WT or Awake! magazine in the 1960’s, per one person who remembers it (no wonder McCabe actually believes the WT Spin on this case, if he’s been a JW since the 1960’s):

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/227103/1/Mr-McCabe-aka-McCabe-Law-representing-WBTS

    Like

  25. Re: WTBTS of *NEW YORK* (vs. the big momma corporation, WTBTS of *PENNSYLVANIA*) Assets of $30mil cash & $1bil total, as shown in the official court document dated 6/14/12, Barbara Anderson says on 6/16/12:

    “These are the figures that the judge fixed instead of making the WT comply by providing figures which would only lead to stalling and in-fighting between attorneys. Plaintiff’s attorney offered what he knew to be a realistic figure for Watchtower of NY, based on what the Brooklyn real estate experts said the property in Brooklyn was worth – One Billion. How the judge came up with the figure of 30 million, I don’t know, but apparently the plaintiff’s attorney provided input from what info. he could gather. Rather than see a delay, the judge decided to offer these figures and WT accepted. I was told that the figure used for WT’s cash is not a figure that came from WT’s income statements. (You know that would never happen.) Although I’m sure that I’m correct about the judge fixing the figures, always remember that my info is only as good as the information I get.

    “I happen to know for sure that WT of PA is the money-bag WT corporation. She’s the mother of all the small-fry entities.”

    6/16/2012 by Paralipomenon:  “According to this sheet, it showed the Watchtower having cash on hand of $268 million in 1998.  I’m sure they have much more than that now:

    http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watch-tower-pennsylvania-corporation.html

    “Though I noticed that first post was the Watchtower of New York, this sheet was the Watchtower of Pennsylvania.  Makes you wonder how much the WT is worth when you put all their pieces together.”

    6/16/2012 by NewYork44M:  “You need to understand that there are multiple corporations including many international corporations.  What you present is for a single corporation. You need to find the consolidated statements – which you will never find.  I doubt they even disclose to the IRS the full extent of their holdings.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/227114/1/Watchtower-ASSETS-OFFICIAL

    Like

  26. Marin County Independent Journal & Our News Now also published the story, along with a non-party law firm writing about it:

    6/16/12:  “Jehovahs’s Witnesses Ordered to Pay $20 Mil In Sex Abuse Case” – ONN:
    http://ournewsnow.com/national/2323/Jehovahs's-Witnesses-Ordered-to-Pay-$20-Mil-In-Sex-Abuse-Case

    ***

    6/15/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay more than $20 million in Fremont sex abuse case” – Marin Independent Journal:
    http://www.marinij.com/ci_20867873/jehovahs-witnesses-must-pay-20-million-fremont-sex?refresh=no

    ***

    6/15/12:  “Jury Awards More than $28 Million against Jehovah’s Witnesses & Sex Abuser” – Neuberger Law:

    Jury awards more than $28 million against Jehovah’s Wittnesses and sexual abuser

    They included this great quote by famed legal mind & former USSC Justice Louis Brandeis:

    “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases.  Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” — L. Brandeis, “Other People’s Money” 62 (National Home Library Foundation ed. 1933).

    Whether Brandeis realized it or not, he was merely echoing the Lord who said:

    “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.” — Matthew 10:26 (& Luke 12:2)

    Like

  27. Re: WTBTS, Rand/Regi, & Jim McCabe:

    Another big Watchtower stink/scandal from a decade ago was when the fact that the WTBTS owned stock in RAND /REGI Corp. was revealed.  A google search should pull up all you’d ever want to know about that.

    Turns out it was Jim McCabe, the attorney for the Fremont Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the current Candace Conti vs. WT $28 Million Child Sex Abuse case, that donated the RAND/REGI stock to WTBTS.  This is the 2nd time I’ve seen someone mention it:

    ***

    6/16/2012 by Honesty:  

    “Jim McCabe denied Jehovah’s Witnesses has a secrecy policy concerning child sex abuse.”

    Guess who ‘Jim McCabe is… Do you remember Rand Engine Company/RegiUS and the stock that was donated to the Watchtower Society waaaay back in 2002?  Do you know WHO donated the stock to the WTBTS?  Surprise, surprise, surprise.

    *** 

    Small world!

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/227077/1/More-exposure-JW-lawsuit-makes-front-page-of-www-msn-com

    Like

  28. Re:  The 7/1/1989 six-page Letter from WTBTS to all Bodies of Elders (BOE) in all Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations:

    From what I understand, this is the letter that really irked the jury in the current Candace Conti vs. WT $28 Million child abuse case.

    The text & photocopies of that letter have been posted here on 6/16/12:

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/227056/1/Watchtowers-April-9-BOE-Confidentiality-Letter-Child-Abuse-Did-Jane-Doe-lawsuit-play-a-major-part

    The letter can also be downloaded from here:

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/8wvenf

    Like

  29. More legal docs becoming available (tip from above thread):

    6/16/2012 by AnnOMaly: “Oh thought I’d tell you … if you go to:

    http://apps.alameda.courts.ca.gov/domainweb/html/index.html 

    (case no. HG11558324), you’ll see some more court documents have been put on the Register of Actions section. Scroll down to the bottom. You all might find the Exhibit List Filed worth a peek.”

    Like

  30. More news links:

    Santa Cruz & ContraCosta also published this story yesterday (many of these Calif news sites are owned by the same media conglomerate.  If AP picks up the story it will really go national):

    6/15/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay more than $20 million in Fremont sex abuse case” – Santa Cruz Sentinel:
    http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/nationalbreaking/ci_20867873/jehovahs-witnesses-must-pay-20-million-fremont-sex?refresh=no

    6/15/12:  “Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay more than $20 million in Fremont sex abuse case” – ContraCostaTimes.com:  
    http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_20867874/jehovahs-witnesses-must-pay-20-million-fremont-sex?refresh

    Like

  31. The perpetrator in this case, Jonathan Kendrick, is still a JW “in good standing,” per this update from yesterday from Barb Anderson:

    6/15/2012 by AndersonsInfo:  “…I inquired about Kendrick too. He moved and is in another congregation and was in good standing. No one knew except the elders (previous to the trial), about his past and the year he spent in jail.

    “I communicate with Candace Conti and her absolutely wonderful mother. Candace’s contact information can be obtained. She is one great gal! … It appears that Candace is determined to follow in my footsteps and stay busy exposing the evils of the borg, so WT will soon have two of us to deal with. I always told myself that I needed to be cloned to keep up with all the demands that have fallen in my lap, and finally someone has done it except I’m in a 26 year old body. Can’t beat that one. — Barb.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227069/1/The-Watchtower-Punished-Society-loses-legal-battle-over-child-abuse-case

    Like

  32. All court docs to date reposted here:

    6/16/2012 by Anony Mous: “I downloaded all the court case papers and put them online: 

    https://anonfiles.com/file/9507fe3b124f9ad440bf9792ab7e0f28

    “I haven’t sorted them or OCR’ed them yet but you can start looking through all the complaints and what the witnesses for the Witnesses had to say. Short: they got their a** handed to them even though they attempted to play dirty.”

    Like

  33. Interesting thread going here at beliefnet about this case, between JWs & non-JWs:

    http://community.beliefnet.com/go/thread/view/43851/29179819/WatchTower__elders_found_guilty_in_Jehovahs_Witness_child_abuse_case?pg=2

    Here’s one comment re the perpetrator Kendrick & the WTBTS’ attitude:

    “I’ve been reading through the letters the WT HQ sent out to the Bodies of Elders over the years.  There’s emphasis on confidentiality and lawsuits, that the lack of keeping quiet on the elders’ part could bring lawsuits on them and the congregation and the Org.  Oh, dear God.  They don’t mean lawsuits from the victims of the abuse, do they.  They can only mean lawsuits from the molester.  Their confidentiality policy does not protect the victim so all their fine talk about how horrific child abuse it, is just that: TALK. Their actions say otherwise.
    “Two years before he victimized this girl, he confessed in front of two elders, his wife, and his stepdaughter, that he had drugged and molested the stepdaughter.  He was a ministerial servant at the time and he was removed from that position, but nothing else was done by the elders and evidently there’s evidence that the two elders told no one else about it, not even the other elders, not the congregation, and certainly not the police or child protective services.  There was another victim the elders were told about at the same time and they did not investigate that occurance or tell anyone about it. Who did this confidentiality help?  The molester and the WT Org’s reputation.  The molester, even after being convicted of molesting his stepdaughter, went on to molest at least two other young girls.  One was his 8 year old step-granddaughter and the other is this young lady who finally brought this lawsuit when she couldn’t persuade the elders to change their policies.

    “…yes, he should have been kept from being around children; however, not only did he have access to JW children, he was permitted to go out knocking on the doors of other children.

    “There’s evidence already that JWs are calling this “persecution.”  I hope some of our JW posters here will explain how it is persecution to be warned about a child molester.”

    Like

  34. Ok, the story has finally & totally saturated the newswires now, 7:30pm EDT, Sat. 6/16/12.  These are results from only the first google-results page (many more thereafter) – use this link to access the actual TV, Radio, & News sites (including CBS, Seattle Times, TimesOnline, etc.):

    https://news.google.co.uk/news/story?gl=uk&pz=1&cf=all&ned=uk&hl=en&q=candace+conti&ncl=d3b6eUxHMn_rN2MyZwHOrIuISVdrM&cf=all&scoring=d

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier – ‎3 minutes ago‎

    Jury awards $28M to woman who said Jehovah’s Witnesses allowed church member …
    Duluth News Tribune – ‎3 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Fremont Tribune – ‎4 minutes ago‎

    Calif Jury Awards $28M in Jehovah’s Sex Abuse Case
    Democratic Underground – ‎4 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Corvallis Gazette Times – ‎5 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Timesonline.com – ‎6 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Winona Daily News – ‎6 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Charlotte Observer – ‎6 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Daily Herald – ‎8 minutes ago‎

    Calif Jury Awards $28M In Jehovah’s Sex Abuse Case
    OfficialWire – ‎8 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    KAALtv.com – ‎9 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Albany Democrat Herald – ‎10 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Casper Star-Tribune Online – ‎10 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Arizona Daily Star – ‎11 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    El Paso Inc. – ‎11 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    KOB.com – ‎11 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    WNCT – ‎12 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Lincoln Journal Star – ‎12 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    La Crosse Tribune – ‎13 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    STLtoday.com – ‎13 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    WSLS – ‎13 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    CBS News – ‎16 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    The Seattle Times – ‎16 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Bloomington Pantagraph – ‎16 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    The Doane Line – ‎17 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    1340 WGAU – ‎17 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    WOWK – ‎19 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    OneNewsNow – ‎19 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Modesto Bee – ‎20 minutes ago‎

    Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case
    Las Vegas Sun – ‎20 minutes ago‎

    ***

    Con’t. on many more google pages! :)

    Like

  35. Back from Fall 2002 to Spring 2003, I helped Silentlambs.org gather copies of ALL online news articles (for their website makeover at the time) re all WT/JW child abuse that had been generated in the media in those early years. The total news articles gathered was approx. 750. I can’t imagine what it would be today!

    ***

    Tonight Plaintiff Conti & her attorney, Rick Simons, are being interviewed via conference call by some exJW site called “Six Screens of the Watchtower.” It will be put online as an MP3 file next week. If/when I have a direct link, I will add it in these comments.

    ***

    Monday, 6/18/12, Ms. Conti & her attorney will be interviewed on TV, but the details of where/when have not been released. I will add that info as well if/when I find out.

    Like

  36. Brief comments by those who were listening in on the conference call earlier tonight with Conti & her attorney at this thread, pages 4-7:

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227119/4/Some-of-you-arent-going-to-like-this-news-but-here-goes

    Like

  37. “This is the largest jury verdict for a single victim in a religious child abuse case in the country,” [Plaintiff’s Attorney Rick] Simons told The Associated Press [6/16/12].

    6/16/12: Washington Post runs the AP story:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/jury-awards-28m-to-woman-who-said-jehovahs-witnesses-allowed-church-member-to-molest-her/2012/06/16/gJQAQsMnhV_story.html

    Like

  38. 6/16/12:  ABC NEWS:  “Calif Jury Awards $28M in Jehovah’s Sex Abuse Case”:
    http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=16586736

    Same AP story at CBS NEWS:
    http://m.cbsnews.com/fullstory.rbml?catid=57454697&feed_id=0&videofeed=36

    HuffPost ran it as well:

    6/16/12:  “Candace Conti Awarded $28M In Jehovah’s Witness Sex Abuse Case” – The Huffington Post:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/06/16/calif-jury-awards-28m-in-_n_1602997.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

    Like

  39. Direct AP link:

    Jun 16, 6:33 PM EDT:  “Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case” – News from The Associated Press:
    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MOLESTATION_LAWSUIT_AWARD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-06-16-18-33-53

    Like

  40. The DailyMail across the big pond runs the story: 

    6/17/12:  “Candance Conti: molested by Jehovah’s Witnesses member at age NINE wins $28milion” – Mail Online:
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160605/Candance-Conti-molested-Jehovahs-Witnesses-member-age-NINE-wins-28milion.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

    Like

  41. US NEWS & WORLD REPORT finally caught on & posted the AP story:

    6/17/12: “Calif jury awards $28M in Jehovah’s sex abuse case”:
    http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2012/06/16/calif-jury-awards-28m-in-jehovahs-sex-abuse-case

    Like

  42. Just saw this hilarious comment at the exJW forum:

    “sKally [to] jonnycip: COME HOME BROTHA!!”

    LOL!  Crack me up.  Back when I hung around those forums on a regular basis (late 2001 thru Spring 2003), “johnnycip” was a NY guy whose elderly father was a JW & “johnny” despised all things WT w/a passion & had his own personal anti-WT-war going up there in NY where HE went “witnessing” to the Witnesses all the time right in the streets, or wherever he spotted them, & would report his “successes” at the forum.

    So yes, if there was ever a time for johnnycip to “come home” to the forum & take up his battleshield to help publicize this $28 Million jury verdict & award to the average JWs on the street, now would be it.  Too funny.

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227156/1/Candaces-story-made-it-to-England-a-few-minutes-ago

    Like

  43. Someone else wrote this, applying Matt. 24:14 (a verse often used by JWs) to this lawsuit victory:

    “And this Good News [of Candace Conti vs. WTBTS] will be published in all the inhabited earth for a witness [to all pedophiles, Bodies of Elders, etc.] and then The End [of the WTBTS] will come!” 

    Like

  44. Re: Pedophiles in general (which most of us already know, but for those who don’t):

    ***

    6/16/2012 by BizzyBee:  “I’ve worked in the field of child sex abuse investigation and my colleagues included police, DAs, public health doctors and nurses, forensic psychologists, etc.  We had psychologists who counseled pedophiles, too, and I learned from them that pedophiles do not change.  Counseling pedos focuses on helping them to:

    –monitor their own thoughts constantly – staying away from dangerous thoughts
    –monitor their activities – to never be where children are EVER
    –understand that what they do actually hurts children terribly – (yes, some of them don’t know that)

    “I used to observe one of our (pedo) clients walking, walking, walking all over town, never without his headphones – drowning out his own thoughts constantly. 

    “A pedo should not be sitting in a KH (Kingdom Hall) where they are near children.  Their minds will latch onto the visual and other sensory stimuli and simmer.  Not good for them or potential victims.  But the arrogance of the WTS does not allow them to become knowledgeable about child sex abuse, so that they can understand why pedophiles can be repentant, but not able to change.  And they have very poor internal impulse control.  Therefore, the elders must provide the external safeguards by warning parents and children.  Simple, really.”

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227111/1/Kendrick-in-good-standing-in-Oakley-Congregation-wow

    Like

  45. The conference call last night 6/16/12 by “Six Screens of the WT” with Plaintiff Candace Conti & her attorney, Rick Simons, is now online:

    ***

    6/17/2012 by ScenicViewer:  “Follow this link, scroll down to entry dated 6-16-2012:

    http://www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/telenetwork/six-screens.php

    “Edit: Warning, you will have to listen to several minutes of music before Rick starts talking.

    “Edit 2: This is a 5 hour program.  A progress bar will appear the allows you to fast forward, but it took many minutes for it to load on my computer.  Patience needed.”
     
    ***

    From:
    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/child-abuse/227171/1/Rick-Fearons-interview-with-attorney-Rick-Simons-and-Barbara-Anderson-is-now-up-on-6-Screens

    Like

  46. New post re this case here at TPR:

    6/17/12:  “Conti vs. Watchtower $28M: Breakdown of Damages to be Paid” – THE PARADISE REPORTER:

    Conti vs. Watchtower $28M: Breakdown of Damages to be Paid

    Like

  47. NY Times finally ran the AP story:

    6/17/12:  “$28 Million Awarded in Jehovah’s Witnesses Abuse Case” – NYTimes.com:

    Like

  48. Good write-up by a Christian group in Cyprus.  They include interesting little tidbits I wasn’t aware of re the WT in general:

    6/15/12:  “WATCHTOWER RELIGION CRUMBLING FOR HIDING PEDOPHILES” – by HOUSE OF PRAYER, LARNACA, CYPRUS:  
    http://livingwatersministiescyprus.blogspot.com/2012/06/watchtower-religion-crumbling-for.html

    Like

  49. Yesterday I caught up reading about that pathetic pedophile Jerry Sandusky’s ongoing trial. Then tonight I learned about this other child molester incident in Texas:

    Re: TX father who killed daughter’s molester:  Details from a Reader Comment @ Huff Post:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/comments/1587724/fp/44/?icid=hp_crime_art_comment_h
    […]
    bjdjtjbjd | Jun 17, 2012 11:16 am EDT
    I seen this on channel 4 The Tody show this morning…this will shed more light on what happened. ” reporter: investigators say about a week ago, 47-year-old jesus flores tried to molest a 5-year-old girl. when her father found out, he punched her attacker several times in the head, killing him. the girl’s grandfather says flores was a friend of a friend who came to the ranch to help the family care for horses. he says that afternoon the girl and her brother were out feeding chickens, but the brother soon came back and said a man had taken his sister. her father then went looking for her. after hearing his daughter scream, he found her half naked with flores. detectives say his pants and underwear were down when the father started hitting him.”
    […]
    End Quote.

    Like

  50. TPR

    Latest in the RCC child sex abuse scandals:

    “A monsignor who oversaw hundreds of priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese was found guilty on Friday (today 6/22/12) of one count of endangering the welfare of a child, making him the first senior U.S. Roman Catholic Church official to be convicted for covering up child sex abuse”:

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-usa-crime-church-idUSBRE85L13820120622

    Like

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