Deal unlikely in case a Mormon church sexual abuse case

Deal unlikely in case a Mormon church sexual abuse case

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormon church lawyers say it’s unlikely they will reach a settlement with a woman who accuses the faith of covering for a former missionary leader who she says raped her in the 1980s.

Attorneys for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints requested a trial date for March 2020 in a court filing Tuesday that came two days after McKenna Denson went to the man’s church in Arizona and told his congregation there was a “sexual predator” among them.

Denson’s attorney, Craig Vernon, agreed it’s unlikely the case will be settled.

Denson says the now 85-year-old Joseph L. Bishop raped her in 1984 in Provo, Utah. Bishop has denied the allegations, but told Provo police that he asked her to expose herself.

A judge recently dismissed part of Denson’s lawsuit, but allowed a fraud claim to stand.