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Polygamy Legal cases and case studies

• Utah State Bar Petitioned: A San Francisco activist Oct. 15 2001, petitioned Utah bar authorities to strip Paul Kingston and Carl E. Kingston of their licenses to practice law. The two are prominent members of the Latter Day Church of Christ, a polygamist Utah sect led by the Kingstons and their sprawling clan.
  
  
• Bronson v. Swensen, 
  No. 02:04-CV-0021 (D. Utah 2004). A Utah woman and her would-be husband -- Mormons denied a marriage license because he is already married -- have filed suit against the Salt Lake County clerks who refused them. More info coming Soon
  
  
• Mary Ann Kingston  vs. Paul Eldon Kingston, Et Al -Salt Lake City - 2003 This lawsuit includes over 200 members and 100 businesses of the Kingston Clan. The Victim is suing the cult for abuse incurred during her life, including the forced marriage as the 15th wife to her uncle. 
  More info coming soon
  
  
• Class Action Suit against  the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -2003- Ms. Palmer, 47, intends to ask the B.C. Supreme Court this week to consider a class action against the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on behalf of women who say they have suffered as a result of the religion's communal, polygamist lifestyle. At least 25 wives, and possibly as many as 200 from communities in Canada and the United States are expected to be part of the unprecedented lawsuit against the well-established religious institution. She said she expects the civil court case will "bring into the public and legal arena questions that the government has been extremely reluctant to address."
  
  
• Virginia Hill vs. Owen A. Allred and The Presiding Elders of Apostolic United Brethren (A.U.B.) -2002  Defendants Matthews and Putvin were commissioned by the plaintiff and her agent, John Shugart to purchase the D.I. Ranch (Deseret Inn Ranch) in southern Utah.  The purchase price was 1.5 million dollars.  Putvin’s fee for negotiating the purchase was $40,000.00. Cash money was turned over to defendants, Matthews and Putvin in three installments: $40,000.00 in advance to Putvin. $1,000,000.00 cash on November 12, 1989 and $500,000.00 cash on December 7, 1989.  It is alleged that after receiving the first one million, defendants Matthews and Putvin went to their priesthood leader, Owen A. Allred and the three priesthood men hatched a  conspiracy to deprive the plaintiff and her agent of the money and convert it to their own use.
  
  
• James Harmston and The True and Living Church of Christ (T.L.C.)  -2002
  The Manti-based apocalyptic church suffered a huge financial setback  when a central Utah jury ordered it to repay nearly $300,000 in contributions to two former members.  Kaziah Hancock and Cindy Stewart sued the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days, claiming founder and self-proclaimed prophet Jim Harmston duped them out of thousands of dollars and failed to deliver on several promises, including producing Jesus Christ in the flesh. 
  
• Shepp v. Shepp (Roberts) 2003
  Pennsylvania Superior Court decision: exposing a minor child to polygamy posed a substantial threat to her. The case has now moved to the Pennsylvania Supreme court on this same matter. The case is still in litigation we will bring updates as soon as they are available.