Source: Sex abuse victim says Mormon church silenced her | Cuomo Channel: NewsNation Published: December 5, 2023 | Archived: May 4, 2026

Video: Sex abuse victim says Mormon church silenced her | Cuomo
Channel: NewsNation
Published: December 5, 2023
Duration: 5:33
Views: 5,786
Category: News & Politics
Video ID: 4G3QGfLi-hA

Description

A woman who says she was abused at the hands of her own father is speaking about what she says is an effort by the Mormon church to protect itself from sex abuse claims. Chelsea Goodrich, now 38, says when she was a child, her father John Goodrich, a former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had routinely slipped into bed with her while he was aroused. Chelsea Goodrich joins “CUOMO” to tell her story. “The church did nothing” after she reported the abuse, she said. #Mormons #church #sexabuse

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Tags

Mormons church sex abuse WatchCuomo Chris Cuomo

Transcript — YouTube panel (human-authored)

0:07 OKAY. SO IF YOU WANT TO TAKE SOMETHING ON AND IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ON POWER, IT’S GOING TO TAKE TIME AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY. SO HERE WE ARE. >> WE DID THIS STORY ABOUT ACCUSATIONS OF WIDESPREAD ABUSE AND COVERUPS WITHIN THE MORMON CHURCH. ALL RIGHT. MORE PEOPLE ARE COMING OUT. THAT’S NOT UNUSUAL IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS THE TRICK IN THIS SITUATION IS ABUSE. OKAY. BUT IF THE PEOPLE WHO DO IT ARE IN THE SUPERVISION, THE DIRECT EMPLOY OR DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY, BUT THEY CALL IN THE LAW RESPONDING SUPERIOR OR THAT THE HIGHER POWER HAS TO RESPOND TO THE ACTIONS OF THE SUBORDINATE, LIKE WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, THEN HOW DO YOU MAKE ABOUT THE CHURCH? I WANT YOU TO MEET CHELSEA GOODRICH. ALL RIGHT. NOW, 38 YEARS YOUNG SAYS WHEN SHE WAS A BABY 2.

0:54 HER OWN FATHER ABUSED HER AND IT CONTINUED FOR YEARS. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE CHURCH WHILE THE MORMONS? ALL RIGHT. WELL, HE’S A PRACTICING DENTIST. WAS A BISHOP IN THE MORMON CHURCH. WHEN CHELSEA SPOKE TO A LAWYER FOR CHURCH, SHE WAS SILENCED AND PAID OFF AND IT WAS ALL CAUGHT ON TAPE. CHELSEA JOINS US NOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY I APPRECIATE YOU DOING IT NOW, FIRST, THE WAY I SAID IT UP, DID I GET IT RIGHT SO FAR? >> YES, YOU DID. KRISTEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME ON.

1:40 >> AND ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF YOUR STORY THAT WILL BE SOMEWHAT UNFAMILIAR FOR PEOPLE. BUT I’M VERY AWARE OF THIS DYNAMIC. YOU HAD BLOCKED OUT A LOT OF THIS WHAT HAD HAPPENED EARLIER IN YOUR LIFE UNTIL YOUR TEENS AND YOU STARTED TO HAVE RECALLED TRAUMA, CORRECT? >> YEAH, THAT’S PARTLY TRUE. I REALLY DIDN’T PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER AND TILL 2015 WHEN I WAS. 29 GOING ON 30 YEARS OLD, I STARTED TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER. AND REALIZE THAT MY FATHER HAD SEXUALLY ABUSED ME. I CONFRONTED HIM ABOUT THIS.

2:20 MY MOTHER CONFRONTED HIM ABOUT IT INITIALLY HE WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD. HE CONFESSED TO A LOT AND WE ACTUALLY STARTED AUDIO RECORDING WHAT HE WAS SAYING BECAUSE WE REALIZE THAT HE WAS SEEKING LEGAL COUNSEL AND HE WAS STARTING TO KIND OF. BACKTRACK ON WHAT HE WAS SAYING. AND SO YEAH, HE WENT TO A MORMON BISHOP MADE A CONFESSION AND THAT BISHOP BISHOP MIKE MILLER, HE MORE THAN WILLING TO. HE ACTUALLY DIRECTLY SAID TO ME, I HOPE SUBPOENAED IN A CRIMINAL TRIAL BECAUSE HE SAID BOY WOULD LIKE TO HE SAID THE TRUTH NEEDS TO GET OUT FOR THE PROTECTION OF OTHER CHILDREN. BUT THEN BISHOP MILLER SPOKE TO ATTORNEYS FROM THE CHURCH AND FROM THAT POINT, HE WASN’T WILLING TO SPEAK ANYMORE TO TESTIFY, BECAME SCARED AND KIND OF CHANGED HIS TUNE. AND SO AFTER I EVENTUALLY REACHED OUT TO PAUL READING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF RISK MANAGEMENT AT THE MORMON CHURCH. AND LET ME BRING PEOPLE >> SORRY I JUST WANT TO BRING PEOPLE UP TO SPEED WITH THE WITH THE PROOF THAT YOU HAVE. OKAY. I WANT TO PLAY THE SOUND

3:31 I WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN TO US WHY YOU WENT TO THE CHURCH IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE THIS IS AN UNFAMILIAR FOR MOST PEOPLE. OKAY. EVEN IF THERE IN A CHURCH UNLESS SOMEBODY IS LIKE A PRIEST OR SOMETHING, YOU DON’T USUALLY INVOLVE THE PRIEST AND WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE. BUT THE MORMON CHURCH IS DIFFERENT. SO I WANT TO PLAY A PIECE OF SOUND FOR THE AUDIENCE ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE JUST SAYING. I WAS SAID TO YOU AND THAT YOU RECORDED. >> I HAVE AUTHORIZATION BE IN THE BOTH AGREE THAT WE WILL DISCLOSE THAT SETTLED WITH YOU. DISCLOSE THAT SETTLED WITH THE CHURCH. ARE TURNING FINANCIAL ADVISERS. AND MUST MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY IS YOU KNOW IS THAT THERE’S RECORD IS MADE OF ALL OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS DESTROY THOSE RECORDINGS WITHIN 10 DAYS OF LOUIS. >> WHAT WAS BEING COMMUNICATED TO YOU AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT WAS THIS THE CHURCH SAYING? WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING? WE BELIEVE THERE’S A CHANCE THAT IT HAPPENED. SO WE

4:39 WANT TO MAKE THIS GO AWAY. >> YES, ESSENTIALLY. AND I THINK THAT I HAD THE UNDERSTANDING AT THAT TIME THAT THE CHURCH WOULD CONTINUE TO DO MORE. TO TRY TO GET THE TRUTH OUT ABOUT JOHN THEMSELVES TO AT LEAST PROTECT CHILDREN WITHIN THE CHURCH FROM JOHN. BUT AS TIME WENT ON AND I REACHED BACK OUT TO AND EXPRESSED CONCERN TO HIM ABOUT MY OWN, YOU KNOW, FAMILY MEMBERS, CHILDREN THAT WERE ARE IN DANGER.