Irwin Zalkin, Jehovah’s Witness Child Sex Abuse Lawyer
See Zalkin.com for more information.
Child sexual abuse has embroiled nearly every religion, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are no exception. With nearly 9 million members and 120,000 congregations globally, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be dedicated to protecting children from sexual offenders, but records reveal they routinely fail to implement policies that protect anything but themselves.
Jehovah’s Witnesses also promote an insulated culture that allows elders and group leaders to conceal cases of sexual abuse within the organization, and dissuade victims from stepping forward with their claims.
Reports have also shown that the Governing Body and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, entities within the group’s organizational structure, have concealed and dismissed numerous claims of sexual abuse brought by members within the Jehovah’s Witnesses dating back to 1950. Some former members claim the Watchtower Society has recorded thousands of named of alleged offenders within the Jehovah’s Witness community, and refuse to release them to law enforcement.
In court cases brought against the Watch Tower Society in both the U.S. and United Kingdom, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been found negligent in failing to protect children from known sex offenders. The organization has also paid substantial sums to settle abuse lawsuits outside of court.
Zalkin.com
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Bearing Witness: Exposing the secretive world of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
“Everybody thinks that Jehovah’s Witnesses are just lovely people, friendly, nice-looking people, maybe a bit quirky, who knock on doors. And it’s very difficult to help people understand just how dangerous this group is.” Former Jehovah’s Witness
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“The Witnesses” Examines JW Child Abuse Issues
In case you missed this when it was first released, Jeff Truesdell reported in People Magazine on January 13, 2020, that Oxygen Channel was scheduled to present a new two-part documentary that examines alleged child abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses and covered up by the Watchtower. “The Witnesses” premiered Saturday, February 8 and 9, 2020.…
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Setting the Record Straight: The Atlantic “Secret Database” Article
Sometimes you have to speak up and speak out when you come across a news article or a TV program that gets everything wrong. What follows is a case of an article whose author not only got the story wrong but just about everything else connected to the story was messed up – including where…
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Child Victims Act – Other States Blazed a Trail
[Albany Times Union, August 25, 2019, by Steve Hughes] As cases gear up for a long process in New York, the effect of California lawsuits offers an example. Victims and advocates fought for years to get the Child Victims Act passed and waited for the date that would allow them to file lawsuits, seeking a…
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“Silent No More: The Survivors” (Permitted Reprint)
Roger Bentley (SCAARS) recently sat down with Hearst Television’s Chief National Investigative Correspondent, Mark Albert, in connection with a year-long investigation of sex abuse allegations and cover-ups in the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization. [We reprint the following articles with permission:]
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JW Victims File Lawsuit Using New Victims Act in New York
The Zalkin Law Firm P.C. has filed a new lawsuit in New York on behalf of two childhood sexual abuse victims naming Jehovah’s Witness Governing Body members and other empowered and responsible individuals within the Watchtower organization as defendants. The Watchtower has a long history of defying court orders to produce pertinent documents and records.
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New York Post: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses Recount Years of Sex Abuse Ahead of Landmark Case
Two former Jehovah’s Witnesses claim the church looked the other way when they were sexually abused as children for years — and now plan to sue under a landmark state law that takes effect this week. Lawyers for Heather Steele, 48, and John Michael Ewing, 47, alleged at a press conference Monday that the Witnesses…
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Jehovah’s Witnesses “use the Bible to victim-shame”
NBC News published a report by Elizabeth Chuck on October 7, 2018, that “on the heels of a $35 million jury award to a woman who alleged her Jehovah’s Witness congregation mishandled her childhood abuse, other survivors say there’s a pattern of cover-ups.” Read the complete NBC News article below:
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San Diego: Jose Lopez Abuse Case “Settled”
Dorian Hargrove of the San Diego Reader reported on January 12, 2018 that “…A lawsuit is now settled between a former victim of sexual abuse and Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Irwin Zalkin, Jose Lopez’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication of Hargrove’s article.
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San Diego Reader Updates JW Child Abuse Cases
According to the San Diego Reader news website, Attorney Irwin Zalkin and legal representatives for the Watchtower Society will make an appearance in a San Diego, California District Court on September 15, 2017. They will be participating in a hearing to discuss a Watchtower motion to seal documents requested by the court as evidence.
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London Conference: BBC Radio Interview April 2017
The following audio recording is an edited version of the April 30, 2017 UK radio program that interviews Candace Conti, Trey Bundy, Irwin Zalkin regarding JW child abuse management.
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Trey Bundy Explains How JW Leaders Hide Child Abuse Secrets
KPBS Radio, a public service of San Diego University, interviewed Trey Bundy on December 12, 2016, and then followed up by releasing an online audio version of the program. We will try to provide the original audio when available, but you can hear it for yourself by following the link provided below to the original…
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Zalkin Press Release: $13.5M Default Judgment Against Watchtower
Victim of Childhood Sexual Abuse Awarded $13.5 Million Default Judgment Against the Jehovah’s Witnesses National Organization the Watchtower
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Bible-Based Belief Harms Children
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Child Sex Abuse Cases Bring Religion’s Practices Into Question By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter October 8, 2014 The Jehovah’s Witnesses have a silent epidemic of child abuse that was recently brought to public attention again after four alleged victims filed lawsuits against the organization. There are over 7 million Jehovah’s Witnesses…
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Orange County lawsuit alleges sex abuse by Jehovah’s Witness leader
In sunny California, another lawsuit has been filed by the Zalkin Law Firm based in San Diego, California. This complaint is one of nearly a dozen sexual abuse cases filed by this firm seeking damages from a local Jehovah’s Witness congregation and the corporation that represents Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. Two…