![]() ![]() “If I say anything, (John Goodrich) can sue me for millions of dollars.”īelow is the entire statement released Sunday by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: The AP contacted Miller by phone, but he declined to discuss details. Goodrich said he’d rather talk to his bishop, so relatives drove him to the home of his bishop, Michael Miller. “With his family and marriage in turmoil, John revealed details of his relationship with (his daughter) to visiting relatives, according to a written statement from the relatives which was ultimately submitted to authorities. The AP story notes that Goodrich allegedly confessed the abuse to several other people. No public record of prosecutors saying they needed the bishop’s testimony was immediately available in the public record, and the AP story does not provide any other confirmation for the statement. Questions about the status of the criminal case should be directed to local prosecutors.” The church had no role in influencing the prosecuting attorney to dismiss the criminal case. “The bishop was subpoenaed to testify in this case, but prosecutors released the subpoena, and he was not recalled to testify. “Only (Goodrich) could release the bishop from his obligation under the clergy-penitent privilege, and he refused to do so,” the church statement said. The church said the bishop was precluded from testifying under Idaho law, which protects clergy-penitent communications. The survivor and her mother also claimed in the story that the prosecutor abandoned the case against Goodrich because the Latter-day Saint bishop refused to testify. “Claims that he confessed to a bishop prior to 2015 are false.” “He has not been readmitted to church membership,” the church statement said. ![]() The church statement said Goodrich was excommunicated in October 2015 after his bishop learned of the abuse. The Deseret News reached out to the church and was provided the statement Sunday night. The church provided its statement in response to questions from AP reporters Michael Rezendez and Jason Dearen. Both parties mutually agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the settlement.” “In 2017, the church agreed to settle a civil claim made by the survivor,” the church statement said.“ Nothing in the agreement kept her from talking about the abuse she suffered or the facts of the case itself with anyone. The story noted that the settlement, which included a nondisclosure agreement about the amount of the settlement and recordings made of church officials discussing it, did not preclude the survivor from telling her story. The church strongly denied the allegation that it attempted to keep the abuse case a secret.
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