Church ordered to release information in abuse case

Thompson Falls Jehovah’s Witnesses organization has been ordered by District Court Judge James Manley to release all internal documents, reports, investigations and testimony pertaining to reported childhood sexual abuse instances originating from April 2004.

Nix, Patterson & Roach, LLP (NPR) are legal representatives for two plaintiffs, Alex Nunez and Holly McGowan, who claim to have been sexually abused by Maximo Nava Reyes, a member of the congregation when they were children. They state that elders (those appointed to oversee the congregation since they do not obtain a paid clergy position) of Thompson Falls Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation were made aware of the actions when they took place but failed to report the occurrences to legal authorities.

According to NPR, they opted to handle the situation internally, following Jehovah’s Witnesses guidelines, and allowed the perpetrator to remain within the congregation. “Their decision not to report the abuse to authorities allowed the perpetrator to remain in the congregation and continue to abuse one of the plaintiffs,” NPR released in a statement.

Defendants in the case, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society Inc. of both New York and Pennsylvania, Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Thompson Falls Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, were ordered April 5, 2018 to present the following: S-77 Notification of Disfellowship form (dated April 4, 2004), handwritten notes from Glenn Wilson (March 22, 2004), elders’ response to Service Department letter (April 12, 2004) and letters to elders providing instruction as to how to manage child molesters in a congregation (August 25, 2005).

In addition, the court has ordered the defendants to supply “documents and communications created, sent, or otherwise maintained, including all contents of any “special blue envelope(s)” sent to headquarters related to the accusations, investigations, judicial committees, disfellowship, and reinstatement of Max Reyes related to the sexual abuse of children.”

Defense witnesses were also ordered to provide truthful testaments regarding all communications related to accusations, judicial committee hearings, investigations, disfellowship, and reinstatement of Reyes that occurred between Watchtower Service Department and/or Branch Headquarters and Thompson Falls Jehovah’s Witness’s congregation.

Judge Manley is not allowing discovery as it pertains to communications between Reyes and elders of Thompson Falls congregation. The court order states that Montana Supreme Court recognizes that “communications made directly to a member of the clergy are protected when the cleric is acting in an official capacity or in his or her religious role.”

The case of Nunez, et. al versus Watchtower Bible and Track Society of New York, et. al. is scheduled for a September 2018 trial. The defendants have filed for a third-party claim against Reyes in this case.

The Ledger attempted to contact Thompson Falls Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses but was unable to receive any comment.