Arizona Supreme Court Rules Religious Leaders Exempt from Reporting Child Abuse Disclosed in Confession
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that religious leaders are not required to report child abuse if they learn of it through confession or confidential disclosure, a case that included The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a defendant.…
Salt Lake City, UT, August 1, 2026 —
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that religious leaders are not obligated to report instances of child abuse learned through confession or other confidential disclosures. This decision emerged from a case involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a defendant.
The legal proceedings originated from a lawsuit initiated by the children of Paul Adams. Adams had reportedly confessed to abuse he committed to LDS church leaders prior to his death. His children subsequently filed suit.
In its ruling, the state’s highest court referenced the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, specifically the establishment clause. The court stated that secular legal systems are precluded from scrutinizing whether a member of the clergy adhered to or correctly applied religious doctrines when making a decision about whether or not to report an incident of abuse.
This ruling establishes a precedent regarding the intersection of religious confidentiality and mandatory reporting laws in Arizona. The specific details regarding the timeline of the disclosures and the court’s full reasoning are contained within the official court documents.
Story summarized from the original created by Stephen Romney on www.fox13now.com, see more information here.
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