ADDENDUM::Addicting Info – Jehovah’s Witnesses To Pay $13.5 Million: Child Sexual Abuse Isn’t Just A Catholic Problem (VIDEO)

After I posted this story I received the following question via Twitter, "Is he still an alleged victim after the court ruling?" It was a question also posed in various comments, but no one seemed to have a definitive answer. My gut response, is that this "case" was a civil judgement not criminal based on the verbiage used in the article and attached news clip. So in essence, "alleged" is the proper terminology.

Since then, two new items came to attention that may help clarify. The first is from Frank Minero writing over at Addicting Info:

ABC 10 News was told by Attorney Irwin Zalkin that The Watchtower knew Campos had been accused of abusing children years before he even met Lopez. The Watchtower swept the sexual abuse under the rug.

Zalkin says six other people have settled sexual abuse cases with The Watchtower and another lawsuit will go to trial in June. He believes these cases are only the tip of the iceberg and “there are probably hundreds if not thousands of perpetrators.”

Nothing specific but does hint that there is a criminal aspect which has been thwarted by Campos fleeing to Mexico.

The juicy information can be found here:

In a video deposition taken in 2011 during a civil lawsuit, admitted serial pedophile Gonzalo Campos said he abused several children in his San Diego congregation from the early 1980's through the mid 90's.

"I did abuse him," said Campos in the video. "I touched his private parts."

His on-camera admissions and a confidential settlement worth millions, may have to be enough for his victims. The Jehovah's Witnesses never told police about Campos, who was a church elder. He's never been charged with a crime and he may never see the inside of a prison cell. He has fled the country and now is in Mexico. He also still is a member of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Regretfully, Lopez is only an "alleged" victim and may remain so for the foreseeable future.

Addicting Info – Jehovah’s Witnesses To Pay $13.5 Million: Child Sexual Abuse Isn’t Just A Catholic Problem (VIDEO)