ClaimChild safeguardingverified2010sOutcome

Kinderschutz · Claim record

In Padron v Watchtower verhängte ein Gericht in San Diego gegen Watchtower ab April 2016 Sanktionen von $4,000 pro Tag, weil die Gesellschaft sich weigerte, die Antworten auf ihr Schreiben vom 14. März 1997 vorzulegen, in dem Älteste nach Mitgliedern gefragt wurden, die 'bekanntermaßen des Kindesmissbrauchs schuldig' waren; das Berufungsgericht bestätigte dies und sprach vom 'Missbrauch des Beweisermittlungsverfahrens' durch Watchtower.

Claim ID claim-safeguarding-padron-sanctions-1997-letterConcerns 9. November 2017Ergebnis

Die Aussage und ihre Belege

Ergebnis · 9. November 2017 Geprüft

In Padron v Watchtower verhängte ein Gericht in San Diego gegen Watchtower ab April 2016 Sanktionen von $4,000 pro Tag, weil die Gesellschaft sich weigerte, die Antworten auf ihr Schreiben vom 14. März 1997 vorzulegen, in dem Älteste nach Mitgliedern gefragt wurden, die 'bekanntermaßen des Kindesmissbrauchs schuldig' waren; das Berufungsgericht bestätigte dies und sprach vom 'Missbrauch des Beweisermittlungsverfahrens' durch Watchtower. Source: California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, 9. November 2017Source: California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, 14. April 2016Source: Letter to All Bodies of Elders, 14. März 1997

Die Position der Organisation oder ihre spätere Erklärung: Watchtower machte geltend, die Unterlagen seien vertraulich, und später, dass Unterlagen nach 2001 nicht zugänglich seien; das Gericht bezeichnete Letzteres als 'Taktiererei'.

Belege anzeigen (3 Quellen)
Amtliches öffentliches Dokument Geprüft

California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, “Padron v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (No. D070723)”

9. November 2017 · Holding and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)

“$2,000 per day for every day Watchtower did not produce responsive documents and $2,000 per day for every day Watchtower did not search for responsive documents”

The San Diego Superior Court sanction ($4,000/day in total) imposed after Watchtower's counsel 'unequivocally informed' the court on 8 April 2016 that it would not comply with a 25 March 2016 order to produce all responses to the 14 March 1997 letter (redacted for victim and elder names). The Court of Appeal affirmed, describing Watchtower's conduct as 'abuse of the discovery process' and noting it had argued against production at least five times.

Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, Padron v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (No. D070723)

Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe. Full opinion opened on FindLaw. The opinion does not state the total accrued; press reports of 'more than $2 million' are not confirmed here.

Untermauert durch. src-cal-2016-0414-lopez-v-watchtower

Notes. Osbaldo Padron is the named plaintiff.

Abgerufen. 19. September 2026 · Quellenkennung. src-cal-2017-1109-padron-v-watchtower

Amtliches öffentliches Dokument Geprüft

California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, “Lopez v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (No. D066388)”

14. April 2016 · Holdings and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)

“known to have been guilty of child molestation”

The court's description of the 14 March 1997 letter whose responses the trial court had ordered produced. The trial court had struck Watchtower's answer for refusing to comply and entered a $13.5 million default judgment; the Court of Appeal upheld the document-production order but vacated the terminating sanction and default judgment because lesser sanctions should have been tried first, and vacated the order to depose Governing Body member Gerrit Lösch.

Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, Lopez v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (No. D066388)

Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe. Full opinion opened on FindLaw.

Untermauert durch. src-cal-2017-1109-padron-v-watchtower

Notes. Jose Lopez was the named plaintiff (San Diego County).

Abgerufen. 19. September 2026 · Quellenkennung. src-cal-2016-0414-lopez-v-watchtower

Primärveröffentlichung von Jehovas Zeugen Gestützt

Letter to All Bodies of Elders, “Letter to all bodies of elders, 14 March 1997 (requesting information on members 'known to have been guilty of child molestation')”

14. März 1997 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“known to have been guilty of child molestation”

The phrase the California Court of Appeal used in Lopez (2016) when describing the March 14, 1997 letter and the documents elders sent to headquarters in response. The Padron (2017) court ordered production of all responses to this letter and upheld daily sanctions for non-compliance.

Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for Letter to All Bodies of Elders, Letter to all bodies of elders, 14 March 1997 (requesting information on members 'known to have been guilty of child molestation')

Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe. The letter was not opened; its date and subject are taken from two appellate opinions that were opened (Lopez, Padron).

Untermauert durch. src-cal-2016-0414-lopez-v-watchtower, src-cal-2017-1109-padron-v-watchtower

Notes. The courts describe these documents as the responses to the 14 March 1997 letter, and this site uses that description.

Abgerufen. 19. September 2026 · Quellenkennung. src-boe-1997-0314-letter-known-molesters

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/de/evidence/claim-safeguarding-padron-sanctions-1997-letter/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.