The LDS Church's Playbook for Hiding Child Sexual Abuse

Published December 19, 2023 at 5:14 PM MST

Chelsea Goodrich poses for a portrait at a friend's house in Ketchum, Idaho, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Goodrich's father, a popular Idaho dentist and former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, was excommunicated after sharing details about his relationship with her when she was a child during a religious confession. Recordings obtained by The Associated Press show that instead of helping prosecutors, the church used a legal playbook that has helped protect itself from sex abuse claims. Goodrich's father is today a free man, and she says she decided to speak out to protect other children. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)

A recent report from the Associated Press tells the story of Chelsea Goodrich, who alleges that her father, a former Mormon bishop, sexually abused her as a child. He’s since been excommunicated from the LDS Church, which sought to keep Goodrich’s allegations under wraps.

As investigative reporters Michael Rezendes and Jason Dearen have reported, the director of the Risk Management Division for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stepped in to manage Goodrich’s case. Those efforts included offers of financial settlements and other legal strategies to protect the Church, and its clergy, from liability. It’s a case, Rezendes and Dearen write, that “provides an unprecedented record of the steps the church normally takes behind closed doors to keep allegations of child sex abuse secret.” Rezendes, Dearen and Goodrich join us to talk about it.

Guests:

Chelsea Goodrich | Featured in the Associated Press story

Michael Rezendes | Investigative Reporter for the Associated Press

Jason Dearen |Investigative Reporter for the Associated Press

Airdate: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.