A 21-year-old man is suing the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, its leader Warren Steed Jeffs and Jeffs' brothers, Blaine Balmforth Jeffs and Leslie Balmforth Jeffs, alleging the three men sexually abused him as a child.
Brent Jeffs, who is a nephew of the three men, filed the civil suit in 3rd District Court Thursday seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Also named in the suit is the United Effort Plan Trust (UEP Trust), which Brent Jeffs claims was created in 1942 as a charitable and business entity.
The FLDS Church is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brent Jeffs in his lawsuit asked the court for a restraining order to keep the FLDS Church from destroying business records and for a restraining order or preliminary injunction to prevent the defendants from disposing of assets and appearing to be insolvent before the court can make a final judgment.
Jeffs, who lives in Bluffdale, alleges in his suit that during the 1980s when he was 5 and 6 years old, he was repeatedly sodomized by Warren Jeffs, who calls himself the church's prophet, and also by Blaine and Leslie Jeffs during Sunday church services.
An attorney for the church leaders denies the allegations.
Brent Jeffs claims he was removed from a basement room where children's services were conducted, taken into a lavatory, and told by either Warren, Blaine or Leslie Jeffs to undress.
"After Plaintiff undressed himself, one or more of said Defendants told him it was God's will that he submit to the Prophet and/or Defendant Blaine and Defendant Leslie," the lawsuit said. "The Defendant prophet Warren then told Plaintiff that these sodomizing activities were a way for Plaintiff to 'become a man.' "
The lawsuit also alleges that Warren Jeffs admonished the boy not to tell anyone, especially his parents. Brent Jeffs also alleges the three men said they were "doing God's work" and "continuously used religiously ominous language" to prevent him from escaping or speaking about the sexual activities.
Brent Jeffs further claims that the leaders of the FLDS Church knew "there were other occasions of child abuse and sexual abuse" and did nothing to stop them.
The lawsuit contends that Warren Jeffs has 50 wives, many of whom he married while they were under age, and that he has a practice of excommunicating young men between the ages of 14 to 20 if they show interest in female teenagers.
Brent Jeffs also claims in the suit that he and his family gave everything they owned to the church and that he is now entitled to be compensated for money he claims he and his parents were defrauded into giving.
He contends the alleged sexual abuse has caused, among other things, physical and mental pain, loss of enjoyment of life and lost wages and earning capabilities.
Rod Parker, lawyer for the FLDS Church, said in an interview with Ben Winslow of KSL-Radio that the church and the men named in the suit will fight it.
"We've only had a very limited opportunity to review it," Parker told KSL-Radio. "I have spoken to President Jeffs, and he denies these allegations in the strongest possible terms. We believe this action is just part of a continuing effort by enemies of the church to defame the church and its institutions, and we are confident these allegations will be proven false."
Asked what he meant by enemies, Parker replied, "There's a group of people who want to see the destruction of the church. They primarily are former members of the church who are disaffected and are not satisfied just to go on with their lives and want to see this church destroyed."
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told KSL-Radio he also had just heard of the suit but said his office plans to look into the allegations and wants to speak with Brent Jeffs.
Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church made the news in January when more than 20 members were excommunicated, including Colorado City (Ariz.) Mayor Dan Barlow and his brother, Hildale City (Utah) council member Joe Barlow. Both men resigned their elected offices.
The two cities, where many FLDS Church members live, are next to one another.
One man who was excommunicated, Ross Chatwin, claimed that wives and children of men who were ousted from the church were assigned to other men, and that people were evicted from homes located on church property.
The FLDS church recently made national news when it began building a compound on a 1,600-acre ranch in Eldorado, Texas.
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com