Jehovah's Witnesses paying to protect child molester.

Spiritual

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The cult known as the Jehovah's Witnesses have amessed a two million dollar tab with the state of California, and that tab grows by $4,000 every day, all because the group won't hand over internal documents that detail alleged child sex abuse in its churches; also known as Kingdom Halls. A San Diego man named Osbaldo Padron has made several claims that he was sexually abused as a child in the 1990s by an adult congregation member and filed suit against the Jehovah's Witnesses for not stepping in to stop and protect him. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the church allegedly knew in 1982 that Gonzalo Campos had molested a child; Campos later admitted to abusing at least eight kids between that year and 1995 (he fled to Mexico in 2010). Padron wants internal documents that he believes has vital evidence to be released, but the Jehovah's Witnesses won't hand them over, in violation of a court order.

The Jehovah's Witnesses have long held a vicious record of child sexual abuse within it's ranks, and a history of shielding those persons as well. These latest allegations come as other christian organizations & cults have settled massive lawsuits.

In 2015, it was disclosed that the Australia Branch of Jehovah's Witnesses had records of 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse, relating to more than 1,800 victims since 1950, none of which were reported to police, according to the Australian Royal Commission.

In 2002, Jehovah's Witnesses' Office of Public Information published its policy for elders to report allegations of child abuse to the authorities only where required by law to do so, even if there was only one witness. The organization says that individuals known to have sexually abused a child are generally prohibited from holding any position of responsibility,and that, unless considered by the congregation elders to demonstrate repentance, such a person is typically disfellowshipped; a form of removing a person from the church for set period of time.

In 2016 a UK judge upheld a ruling against the Jehovah's Witnesses for failing to protect a victim of child sexual abuse, and the supreme court rejected an attempt by the Watch Tower Society to block a commision inquiry into how the organization handles allegations of abuse.

If allegations of child abuse satisfy the organization's religious tenets, an internal judicial committee is formed, and the accused individual may potentially be relieved of positions of responsibility in the congregation. Anyone found to have sexually molested a child, based upon the criteria established by the organization, and deemed by the elders to not demonstrate sufficient repentance is disfellowshipped from the congregation and shunned.

The elders are instructed to gauge the abuser's repentance based upon their subsequent visible support of congregation activities, such as attending congregation meetings, and actively supporting the denomination's door-to-door work. The sustained participation in the group's activities has resulted in sexual predators remaining in good standing in the congregation.

Congretation elders were aware that Campos had previously abused at least one other child, but assigned Campos to instruct Lopez. For failing to protect Lopez from a known offender and for its subsequent refusal to co-operate with the court, the Watch Tower Society was ordered to pay US$13.5 million to the plaintiff. The Watch Tower Society appealed the ruling. The appeal court vacated the judgment, granting that lesser sanctions might compel the Watchtower Society to comply with the court's requirements. The law firm representing Lopez has filed similar cases in the 5 other states including California.