Press Release


		For immediate release - Friday June 15, 2012 For more information contact – William H. Bowen of Silentlambs, a support group for those molested by Jehovah’s Witnesses (270-703-2257, bowen@silentlambs.org) Child sex abuse victim to get $28 million National Jehovah’s Witness HQ must pay Advocate calls decision “a watershed moment” Church’s “secrecy” rules enable abuse, he says Denomination requires two witnesses in each suspected abuse case It’s a written policy & still in force today, support group head charges Calling a jury decision “a watershed moment for children’s safety in the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” a self help group for men and women who were molested by denomination members is praising the child sex abuse victim who took her case to court this week in California. Yesterday, Bay Area jurors awarded $21 million in punitive damages – on top of an earlier $7 million in actual damages – to an Oakland woman who was sexually assaulted as a child by a now-convicted Jehovah’s Witness. “Until now, a jury has virtually never held the JW national headquarters responsible for repeated heinous child sex crimes and cover ups by church members or officials,” said William H. Bowen of Nashville, TN, who founded and heads a support group for those molested by Jehovah’s Witnesses (270-703-2257, bowen@silentlambs.org) “This is a ground-breaking case and a watershed award against an especially callous group of church bureaucrats.” “The Jehovah Witnesses have the most dangerous abuse policy on the planet – requiring two eyewitnesses to a child sex crime before an accusation can be deemed ‘credible,’” said William H. Bowen of Tennessee, who founded and heads a support group for those molested by Jehovah’s Witnesses (270-703-2257, bowen@silentlambs.org) “So justice and prevention isn’t happening within the church, and that’s why this decision is so crucial. We hope it prods more JW victims to report child sex crimes to secular authorities and take legal action to expose predators and protect kids.” In 2007, 17 victims shared a $13 million dollar settlement from church officials. It involved victims in three states California , Texas and Oregon and six Jehovah Witnesses perpetrators. http://www.silentlambs.org/NashvillePressConference.htm http://www.silentlambs.org/OaklandLawsuit.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLAC9kS_EqM http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21917798/ns/nbcnightlynews/t/new-evidence-jehovahs-witness-allegations/#.T9tUixeXTEY Bowen says this is the largest amount the Jehovah’s Witness have ever had to pay in one child sex case.