Navajos who claim abuse in LDS program renew subpoena to church president

Attorneys for Navajos who say they were sexually abused while placed in Mormon homes off the reservation have renewed their effort to compel LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson to testify under oath.

Attorneys for Navajos identified only by their initials obtained a subpoena in state court to compel the ailing church leader to testify about the church-sponsored Indian Student Placement Program, which operated from 1947 to the mid-90s.

Four Navajos filed lawsuits in Tribal Court in early 2016 against the church, alleging they were sexually abused when placed in Mormon homes during the school year.

The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints earlier this year tried unsuccessfully to move the lawsuits from tribal court to federal court in Salt Lake City. As part of the federal court proceedings, attorneys for the alleged victims also had sought to depose Monson.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/4747843-155/navajos-who-claim-abuse-in-lds

Cross-posted in the First Americans Group.