SALT LAKE CITY – Allegations of fraud against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been referred to a settlement conference by a Utah court.
McKenna Denson’s fraud allegations against Provo Missionary Training Center President Joseph L. Bishop and the church were dismissed more than a year ago because the statute of limitations had passed, KUTV-TV reports.
A judge ruled in May 2019 that the two counts of fraud still stand because an alleged cover-up was discovered.
A jury trial was vacated Friday and the fraud allegations were referred to a magistrate judge for settlement.
Denson, of Pueblo, Colorado, accuses Phoenix-area resident Bishop of sexually abusing and raping her at the missionary center in 1984.
All the claims were dismissed against Bishop, who denied the accusations but acknowledged in a police interview that he asked the woman to expose herself when she was 21, according to police documents.
The parties are required to meet within 14 days to schedule the settlement conference, which must take place in the next two or three months, court documents said.
