Judge leaving fate of trust money for former child bride to Utah Supreme Court


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SALT LAKE CITY — A judge ruled Monday to let the Utah Supreme Court decide if a former child bride married by Warren Jeffs is eligible for any money from a state-controlled FLDS trust worth $100 million.

Elissa Wall filed a $40 million personal injury lawsuit in 2007 against Jeffs, the Fundamentalist LDS Church and the UEP Trust that controls the assets of the church in Utah, Arizona and Canada. Jeffs married Wall to her 19-year-old cousin when she was only 14.

Judge Keith Kelly said he's leaving the personal injury lawsuit up to the Utah Supreme Court to decide where the trust money will go to.

Kelly also cancelled a Jan. 20, 2015, court date and all other future pretrial hearings pending the Supreme Court's decision on the matter. Wall's attorney was not present at the Monday hearing.

The UEP is fighting the lawsuit from Wall and has paid a $5 million security bond to ensure there will be money should Wall win her suit. The Trust is worth more than $100 million and controls most of the property in the FLDS communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona.

In 2005, the UEP was taken over by the state because of allegations of mismanagement by Jeffs and leaders of the FLDS Church.

The Supreme Court has not yet set a date to hear the case.

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Nicole Vowell

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