SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A lawsuit by a woman who accused The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of covering for a former missionary leader who she says raped her in the 1980s is on hold as she tries to find a new attorney.
McKenna Denson said Monday during a telephonic hearing that she’s been unable to find a law firm to take her case since her previous attorney, Craig Vernon, withdrew in May. Denson says some firms are “intimated” by the religion.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead gave Denson six more weeks to find a lawyer. Church attorneys didn’t object.
It’s unknown why Vernon dropped the case because his court motion is sealed and he didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.
A judge has dismissed part of Denson’s lawsuit, but allowed a fraud claim to stand.
