Jehovah’s Witnesses Lose Court Battle to Suppress Freedom of Speech
By William Bowen
ICSA e-Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2007

Source: http://www.icsahome.com/articles/jehovahs-witnesses-bowen-en6-2

In a Denmark court ruling, December 2006, [J W] lost a key decision to suppress freedom of the press. They were ordered to pay legal fees of 50,000 kroner to one of the largest newspapers in Denmark, Ekstra Bladet [1] . Ekstra Bladet had published a series of articles on the epidemic of child abuse within the Jehovah’s Witness organization. Since May of 2002, media worldwide have circulated reports of child-abuse problems. Stories include those from The New York Times, Dateline, and eight different countries offering testimony from sexually abused kids within the religion.

In the autumn of 2004, the Denmark newspaper ran a series of articles that blasted the religion for policies of covering up abuse allegations. The [J W] local Branch Office Committee in Denmark filed a 350,000-kroner slander lawsuit against Ekstra Bladet and the editor of the newspaper. The religion went further and attacked victims of abuse who had been interviewed for the newspaper articles. Victims were told they would be sued into poverty if they did not retract the stories of being raped as children, which they had given to the newspaper. Because of intimidation, one girl withdrew her story, and other victims went into hiding.

[J W] have long touted their record as an organization that is a defender of “freedom of speech.” They currently claim on their Website that they have won more than 50 lawsuits that supposedly establish the freedom of people to speak as they wish or to practice their faith. A film/propaganda piece is circulating around the United States of America called Knocking that will soon air on PBS; the piece touts how [J W] protect freedom. Yet another side the public are not informed of is the inverted use of these legal victories to punish and humiliate people the [J W] do not like.

“Disfellowshipping,” a word created by [J W] , is used as a weapon within the religion to destroy families and silence members through intimidation to obey whatever they are told to do. If members are disfellowshipped, all family and church members view them as dead and will not acknowledge their existence; even if a disfellowshipped son walks into the same room with his mother, she will not speak to him. The shunning is indefinite until the deposed members renounce anything the church tells them to and submit totally to church leadership. For example, victims of child abuse have been disfellowshipped for attempting to expose the member who molested them. The victims’ freedom of speech was indirectly taken away because no church member was allowed to talk to them; and in some instances, their families put them out on the street at the direction of church leaders. The right of the [J W] religion to diminish such freedom of speech of certain members has in large part been won by the sect’s successful Supreme Court litigations [2].

How could a documentary film on [J W] miss this common practice in the religion? [J W] are well known on their Website for press releases that tout their legal victories in the international courts [3]. Sadly, however, there is no reference to the Denmark decision anywhere on this Website. In recent California court decisions, [J W] have also lost key court rulings on civil child-abuse litigation against the church; but again, this information has been omitted from the [J W] Website [4].

When the [J W] lose their court battles to suppress freedom of speech, they appear to be silent. Could one of the reasons be that they misuse donated funds to hurt people? When a Jehovah’s Witness calls at your home, he has been taught to memorize this commentary at the end of offering you some free literature: “Our literature is offered without charge, but we would gladly accept a small donation for the Worldwide Work of Jehovah's witnesses.”

When the public reach into their pockets and make donations to this group, they are funding many different things. Although part of the money goes to make more magazines and books, a significant amount goes to fund litigation. In the past five years, more than 70 lawsuits that involved the mistreatment of abused kids were filed against the [J W] . When you donate to the “Worldwide Work,” you may be funding the defense of child molesters. In the Denmark litigation, 50,000 kroner of “Worldwide Work” donations will be spent to pay legal fees, the goal of which was to suppress newspaper exposés of the organization’s child-abuse policy. Would anyone who understands what is actually happening wish to donate their money to assist people who may be pedophiles and suppress freedom of speech—even if just a few cents of each dollar they donated were involved?

At silentlambs, we call for the immediate cessation of funding for such defense litigation and attempts to suppress freedom of speech. We hope this “slap on the ear” is a wake-up call to the [J W] and anyone else who wishes to silence victims of abuse and to misuse “good faith” donations to hurt the innocent. The next time [J W] happily approach you to offer their magazines, accept their offering if you are inclined, and then inform them that you prefer not to donate to their “Worldwide Work” until they stop hurting victims of abuse.

So while Knocking, a [J W] -endorsed documentary, airs on PBS and provides accolades for court victories that make the group champions for freedom of speech, the facts show that lawyers funded by a multi-billion-dollar corporation are making a mockery of the U.S. Constitution. They use the Supreme Court as a knife to cut out the tongues of people who are victimized by this religion. Professor Marci Hamilton’s online article at FindLaw notes the irony of the Denmark case:

It is extraordinarily ironic, then, that the [J W] have recently, in Denmark, taken the position that speech, including speech by the press, should be punished and suppressed. It appears that when the topic is alleged clergy abuse within the organization, its position on freedom of speech makes a 180-degree turn. Apparently, the [J W] support free speech for themselves, but not for their critics. [5]

[1] To read the article, go to http://debat.religion.dk/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=02112006&Number=116623&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&vc=1


[2] Read more about disfellowshipping policy at http://www.watchtower.cc/DF_DA.htm


[3] Available on the organization’s media Website, www.jw-media.org


[4] Read about the court ruling at http://www.silentlambs.org/courtrulingnapa.htm


[5] http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/200701

JW the new problem and radicalised religion of this world. Frm Russia to Denmark, very soon Naija wil ban them

This are not true about Jehovah's witness , I am one

why do people like tarnishing our image, just why? You talk of victims of sexual, we don't cover sexual abuse,

where did you get all these from ?


may Jehovah forgive you people

adajoe555:
This are not true about Jehovah's witness , I am one

why do people like tarnishing our image, just why? You talk of victims of sexual, we don't cover sexual abuse,

where did you get all these from ?


may Jehovah forgive you people

My dear, have you heard of the Australian royal Commission investigation on Jehovah’s Witnesses child sexual abuse?

I know you have not heard of it. Just Google it and you will be alarm at how much the organization has covered up.

Secondly, don't go far. Just go through this web page.

http://www.silentlambs.com

You will see how pervasive child sexual abuse is and how many are involved within the organization.

The organization lost that case in Denmark and they didn't make much noise about it. That was years ago. In recent times, they have lost so many child sexual abuse case and have paid millions in settlement.

Google is your friend. If it is a lie, you will know it. If it is not, you will also know it.

adajoe555:
This are not true about Jehovah's witness , I am one

why do people like tarnishing our image, just why? You talk of victims of sexual, we don't cover sexual abuse,

where did you get all these from ?


may Jehovah forgive you people

Here, you have it on Wikipedia. It provides a surmary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses%27_handling_of_child_sex_abuse

You can research more on it. You will know if it is true or not. I am not the one to tell you. If it is true, you will know. Just research

Let me even post it here self. From Wikipedia itself.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses%27_handling_of_child_sex_abuse

In a press release dated November 21, 2007, Jehovah's Witnesses' Office of Public Information stated:[72]

In the United States, over 80,000 elders currently serve in over 12,300 congregations … During the last 100 years, only eleven elders have been sued for child abuse in thirteen lawsuits filed in the United States; In seven of these lawsuits against the elders, accusations against the Watchtower Society itself were dismissed by the courts.

In 2004, a Canadian court awarded CAD$5000 to a plaintiff for the negligence of an elder who failed to follow the official policy of the church. However, the court dismissed charges against the Watch Tower Society, and directed the plaintiff to pay the Watch Tower Society's legal fees amounting to CAD$142,000.[73][74]

In 2007 during a trial motion in the Napa, California court against the Watchtower Society, victims' lawyers convinced the court that 'ecclesiastical privilege' does not supersede the legal obligation of clergy to report child sex abuse to secular authorities. The Watchtower Society paid an undisclosed amount without admitting wrongdoing in an out-of-court settlement with 16 unnamed victims of alleged sexual abuse within the group. According to court documents obtained by NBC News, one plaintiff was awarded over US$780,000.[75][76] The Press-Enterprise newspaper reported in 2008 that subpoenaed elders declined to testify against accused penitents, citing the confidentiality of penitent-clergy privilege.[77] However elders did not object to testifying once a specific matter of penitent-clergy privilege had been adjudicated.[78]

In June 2012 the Superior Court of Alameda, California, ordered the Watch Tower Society to pay US$21 million in punitive damages, in addition to compensatory damages, after finding that the Society's policy to not disclose child abuse history of a member to parents in the congregation or to report abuse to authorities contributed to the sexual abuse of a nine-year-old girl.[79] The court found that congregation elders, following the policies of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, contributed to the abuse. The court stated that the elders as agents of the Watch Tower Society failed to disclose to other parents regarding the confession of the molester who inappropriately touched his step daughter, adding that the degree of reprehensibility was of "medium range". Based on the ratio between the compensatory and punitive damages, the court subsequently reduced the Watch Tower Society's total liability to US$10 million,[80] Lawyers for the Society appealed the ruling, calling the decision "unprecedented" and denying responsibility for abuse.[81][82] In April 2015, the appeal court concluded that the Watchtower Society was negligent in preventing the abuse and upheld the trial court's decision on compensatory damages amounting to US$2.8 million to be paid by Watchtower Society and the congregation. However, the court reversed punitive damages finding that the congregation had no duty to warn the parents or members about the child abuse history of other members. The Watchtower society appealed again to the supreme court of California and the case was settled for an undisclosed amount during appeal.[83][84]

In October 2014, a case was heard in San Diego, California. When he was seven years old, Jose Lopez was abused by Gonzalo Campos. Witness elders were aware that Campos had previously abused at least one other child, but assigned Campos to instruct Lopez. Campos later confessed to abusing at least eight children between 1982 and 1995, and subsequently fled to Mexico. 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.[85][86] The appeal court vacated the judgment, granting that lesser sanctions might compel the Watchtower Society to comply with the court's requirements.[87] The law firm representing Lopez has filed similar cases in the U.S. states of Connecticut and Vermont,[88] and in California, Oregon and New Mexico.[89]

In The United Kingdom in June 2015, the High Court of Justice in London awarded damages of £275,000 to an unnamed woman known only as 'A' because the Jehovah's Witnesses failed to protect her from a known paedophile, Peter Stewart. 'A' alleged Stewart abused her from the age of four and threatened that she would be "damned as a sinner" if she told anyone about the abuse. The abuse ended only when Stewart was arrested for offenses against another child. The court held that the Watchtower Society failed to warn the members of the congregation about their knowledge on past abuse by a child molester in the congregation.[90][91][92] The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain sought permission to appeal, but the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, holding "fair just and reasonable" the award of damages, refused permission to appeal and upheld the ruling to pay to the victim in compensation £275,000 in addition to the legal costs of the case, estimated at approximately £1 million.[1][93]

On September 15, 2017 an application was filed in the Superior Court of Quebec for a class action lawsuit on behalf of victims of sexual abuse by a Jehovah's Witness. The defendants named are three corporations of the Jehovah's Witnesses: The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.[94][95] As of September 2017 in Canada there is a subsequent investigation for a national class action lawsuit against The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Canada concerning alleged sexual abuse at another class action law firm based in Calgary, Alberta.[96]

rottennaija:


My dear, have you heard of the Australian royal Commission investigation on Jehovah’s Witnesses child sexual abuse?

I know you have not heard of it. Just Google it and you will be alarm at how much the organization has covered up.

Secondly, don't go far. Just go through this web page.

http://www.silentlambs.com

You will see how pervasive child sexual abuse is and how many are involved within the organization.

The organization lost that case in Denmark and they didn't make much noise about it. That was years ago. In recent times, they have lost so many child sexual abuse case and have paid millions in settlement.

Google is your friend. If it is a lie, you will know it. If it is not, you will also know it.

It is the victims right to report to the police and no one would hold you back, why are they making it seem that we cover sexual assault. A friend of my was in this situation she reported to the police after everything the organization still disfelowshiped him, the victim have the right to report ,except the victim doesn't want to report .

Millions are paid out in compensation from contributions meant for worldwide work. And the cases in Australia, USA, CANADA and some other countries have not yet been concluded

adajoe555:



It is the victims right to report to the police and no one would hold you back, why are they making it seem that we cover sexual assault.

And yet the organization are paying more millions in settlement. How do you explain that? And how can you deceive anyone that the organization is paying millions settlement if it doesn't concern them?

Look at another report here.

https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/26/jehovahs-witnesses-criticised-over-handling-of-child-abuse-case

rottennaija:


And yet the organization are paying more millions in settlement. How do you explain that? And how can you deceive anyone that the organization is paying millions settlement if it doesn't concern them?

Look at another report here.

https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/26/jehovahs-witnesses-criticised-over-handling-of-child-abuse-case

My guy evil should be exposed, but trust me when it comes to convincing these JW folks that their religion is deep in the slough of despond; it is a futile effort.

Even with a barrage of hard evidence, they still unintelligible try to refute all the facts. It is almost as if they are spell-bound. Its quite amazing, for such a religion heavy laced with falsehoods, it doesn’t come as a surprise though.

Anybody in a perfect state of well-being would stay clear of the JW brood.

Harddiskng:


My guy evil should be exposed, but trust me when it comes to convincing these JW folks that their religion is deep in the slough of despond; it is a futile effort.

Even with a barrage of hard evidence, they still unintelligible try to refute all the facts. It is almost as if they are spell-bound. Its quite amazing, for such a religion heavy laced with falsehoods, it doesn’t come as a surprise though.

Anybody in a perfect state of well-being would stay clear of the JW brood.

Thanks man. That is what I have come to appreciate. They are so deeply under mine control. But be as it may, they still have to be exposed.

My own experience of waking up from the jw was not as a result of exposures like this. The information about the organization has been there all along, their lies, false prophecies, etc scattered across the globe. I simply turn a blind eye to it.

However, some things happen that made me start to research myself. I saw things I knew were wrong. For me, that was what opened my eyes to investigate further, it was only then I could open my eyes to things that has been going on but I that I dismissed or didn't see. For me, that was the rude awakening call, it was the turning point. It was as if something had fallen off my eyes.

So, I understand exactly how they feel and how they can simply turn away from hard evidence. I was there, in their position not quite long ago. So I understand.

However, my believe is that, their turning away from this things should not discourage the exposure. Let the information be out there. Someday, someone will also have a reason to question the organization and possibly wake up. In such a situation, the person will understand that what he has seen or will see isn't something that is alien to him. That others had seen it years ago and talked about it. That the organization had been this way from the beginning, right from the very start.

In my own experience, that is only when a jw will open his heart and mind to knowledge and research. That was my experience, and the experience of many others. So, I strongly believe the exposure has to continue.