An adult survivor of child sexual abuse plans to sue The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when a new California law takes effect in 2020.

According to KUTV, Kristy Johnson now lives in Utah, but said she lived in California as a child, during the years her own father sexually abused her. She said the abuse began when she was 6 years old.

Despite her mother allegedly witnessing the abuse and telling a church leader, Johnson said the abuse continued until she turned 18 because the church warned her mother that if Johnson’s father lost his job, the entire family could suffer. Johnson said the church advised her mother not to tell the police.

As a young adult, Johnson went on a Church mission, and upon returning, she reported the abuse to California police. Her father, who had become a teacher at a seminary and at Brigham Young University, was ultimately excommunicated. Today he lives in Utah.

Johnson’s story is told in a documentary called “No Crime in Sin.” The documentary includes footage of Johnson and her siblings confronting their father.

Adult Survivor of Child Sexual Abuse Looking to New California Law for Help

On Jan. 1, 2020, a new law in California will take effect. Child victims of sexual assault will have until age 40, or until five years after discovery they were sexually abused.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the law also will provide a three-year look-back window to allow victims of any age to file suit even if their claims would have expired under the old law. Awards of triple damages are possible if an institution tried to hide the abuse.

Current California law only provides child victims until age 26, or a maximum of three years beyond the time of realizing they incurred psychological damage from childhood sexual abuse, to file suit.

California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, sponsored the bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in mid-October.

Similar to new laws recently passed and in effect in other parts of the nation, including New Jersey, the California law will provide new opportunities for an adult survivor of child sexual abuse to hold accountable the institutions that helped protect abusers for their role in enabling the abuser.

The Roman Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are among the institutions that could face an onslaught of lawsuits in California starting in 2020. These pedophiles will not be able to hide in school districts, foster care agencies, youth sports organizations, the YMCA, or any other local organization.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the California Civil Liberties Advocacy and California School Boards Association opposed the new law because of the potentially devastating financial consequences school districts could face, especially those located in rural areas.

California School Boards Association spokesman Troy Flint told the Times that insurance companies have indicated they may either stop providing coverage or refuse to insure an organization for allegations of sexual abuse, which “puts schools in a very precarious state.”

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.