Editor’s note: The lawsuit only tells one side of the story.
Salt Lake City(ABC4) – In 2025, a lawsuit was filed against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accusing it of negligence causing serious bodily harm to a minor. The church responded to the lawsuit this week, denying the accusations.
In November 2025, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of two minors after they were seriously injured at a church event in 2022. At the time of the incident, the two minors were 12 and 14 years old respectively.
A court-appointed guardian was appointed as the plaintiff on behalf of the two minor children. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is named as a defendant.
What happened
The teenagers were attending an event on a boat owned by the borough’s Young Women leader, the lawsuit said. While on the boat, the 12-year-old girl was reportedly putting a rope into an inner tube while the young woman leading the group sped up.
Due to the acceleration, the rope wrapped around the boy’s left foot and severed it below the ankle.
The Young Women leader reportedly shut down the boat but was unable to restart it because of water in the engine. The 12-year-old boy’s brother, who was 14 at the time and another minor involved in the lawsuit, called 911.
The younger brother had to put a tourniquet on his injured leg and, with the help of others, tried to row him ashore using an inner tube.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Negligence lawsuit filed against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after child lost his footing
Despite additional medical care, the 12-year-old boy’s foot could not be saved after two amputations. He also had to undergo multiple surgeries.
In addition to irreparable and life-changing injuries, the minor suffered severe mental, emotional and psychological trauma, the lawsuit states. It also claims his brother suffered emotional and psychological harm as a result of witnessing the incident and the impact it had on his brother.
Because this was a church activity overseen by church leaders, the plaintiffs argued that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a responsibility and obligation to minors but breached that obligation by failing to provide a safe environment and failing to properly train supervisors.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages to help the two minors obtain medical and emotional recovery, as well as any loss of future and past enjoyment of life.
church response
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded to the original lawsuit on Monday. While it admitted that some of its youth activities involved water sports and that the driver of the boat was responsible for some of the youth activities, it denied that it had breached any duty or legal responsibility.
The church also recognizes the adults who organized the event as leaders within the church. However, they deny that Young Women leaders increased the dangers of boating or that any injuries were caused by the church’s actions, errors or omissions.
The church acknowledged that it owed a duty of care to the minor under Wyoming law’s due care requirement but denied allegations that it violated that duty.
How to make ABC4 your go-to news source on Google
The church argued in its response that it had no liability and that activities such as water sports had inherent risks that it could not prevent. It also held that the plaintiffs’ claims were barred by the volunteer immunity doctrine, which provides certain protections to individuals acting as volunteers.
“These injuries were caused by a rare and unforeseen accident that occurred due to Defendant’s lack of negligence or lack of due care,” the response reads.
It also said the church “prayed that the plaintiffs would not gain anything by filing the complaint” and asked the court to grant the defendants any relief the court deems equitable.
ABC4 has reached out to the church for a statement regarding the lawsuit but has not yet received a response.
Latest headlines:
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
