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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon Church says two Navajos who alleged they were sexually abused in a former church program wrongly placed their lawsuit in Navajo Nation court.
Attorneys for the church wrote in a federal court documents Tuesday that the tribal court lacks jurisdiction because none of the alleged conduct took place on the reservation.
The Navajo siblings sued The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in March. Their lawsuit contends they were sexually abused while living with families in Utah who fostered children through the church's Indian Student Placement Program.
The siblings' attorney, Billy Keeler, has said the Navajo Nation is the proper jurisdiction because decisions on placement of the siblings were made on the reservation.
The church says that's insufficient to allow the tribal court to hear the case.
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