🧠Takeaways
- At least four major U.S. cases have resulted in millions of dollars awarded, with some verdicts exceeding $35 million.
- Confidentiality clauses and appeals mean actual payouts may be lower—and many cases eventually settle without full public judgment.
- Class actions in Canada and redress mechanisms in Australia are ongoing but haven’t yet produced publicly disclosed totals.
- The UK has lower monetary awards, but legal precedent holds the organization responsible.
âť“Why the Scale Differs
- U.S. courts issue higher punitive damages, and discovery processes often force the organization to expose internal failures.
- Confidential settlements mask real totals, especially outside the U.S.
- Statutes of limitations and legal reforms (like Louisiana’s in 2021) enabled older survivors to file lawsuits.
- Institutional secrecy and non-disclosure policies within Jehovah’s Witnesses often limit transparency.
Here’s a clearer overview of documented cases where Jehovah’s Witnesses have paid millions in legal judgements or settlements following sexual abuse complaints—across the U.S., Canada, UK, and Australia:
🇺🇸 United States
- Montana (2018): A jury awarded $35 million to a 21-year-old woman who said her relatives and congregation elders failed to stop ongoing abuse by reinstating the abuser. The verdict included about $4M in actual damages and $31M in punitive damages. It received widespread media attention, though the Watchtower Society has appealed.
- California (2012): In Alameda County, Candace Conti was awarded $28 million, later reduced on appeal to approximately $2.8 million, for childhood molestation by a congregation member—despite prior knowledge by elders about the abuser’s history.
- California (2014): A survivor named Jose Lopez received $13.5 million from a court, after being abused as a child by an elder named Gonzalo Campos. Watchtower was found negligent in failing to protect him.
- Hawaii (2023): A $40 million verdict was awarded to a woman abused at age 12 by Kenneth Apana in the Makaha congregation. The award held the abuser personally liable; terms of any Watchtower settlement remained confidential.
Additionally, in the Lopez case, Watchtower was fined $4,000 per day for withholding documents, accruing over $2 million in court-ordered sanctions.
🇨🇦 Canada (Québec & Ontario)
- Class Action Lawsuits: Since 2017, class actions have been ongoing in Québec and Ontario, alleging systemic mishandling of child sexual abuse by Jehovah’s Witness entities. As of early 2025, these cases have progressed through hearings—but no public settlement figures have been released.
- Earlier 2004 Case: A court awarded a nominal CAD 5,000 to a plaintiff for negligence, but dismissed broader claims and ordered the individual to pay legal costs—highlighting how small awards can occur in Canadian courts.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- UK High Court (2015): A victim identified as “A” won £275,000 in civil damages, as well as around £1 million in legal costs, after elders failed to protect her from a known predator. Appeals were rejected, cementing the ruling.
- The Charity Commission for England & Wales launched an official inquiry in 2017 into how Jehovah’s Witnesses handled abuse allegations—and remained active into 2025.
🇦🇺 Australia
- Royal Commission (2015): Found at least 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse were reported internally since 1950, with many cases not reported to police. There was no specific payout list, but the inquiry criticized the organization’s failure to cooperate with legal authorities.
- In 2021, Watchtower agreed to join Australia’s National Redress Scheme (a federal government program) as a condition of maintaining its charity status. Participation implies financial contributions, though precise payout figures tied to the Witnesses are not publicly disclosed.
đź“Š Summary Table
