State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and two elders (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ), “State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Joel Mulchansingh and William Perkins (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ)”
“between priest and penitent in a sacramental confession”
The wording of Delaware's reporting-law exemption (16 Del. C. s. 909) on which the elders relied. The State alleged two elders learned in January 2013 of a sexual relationship between an adult woman and a 14-year-old congregant and did not call the child-abuse report line. The court denied the defendants' motion for summary judgment (AP, 4 February 2016), leaving factual issues for trial. The case was reported to have settled in January 2018; the settlement terms have not been verified from a court record and are not published here.
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Provenance and verification note for State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and two elders (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ), State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Joel Mulchansingh and William Perkins (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ)
Confidence note. The opinion could not be opened (Justia blocks automated fetches); the filing, the privilege argument and the January 2016 ruling are confirmed by two AP reports (Fox News 4 Feb 2016; NBC10 Philadelphia 7 Sept 2017) that were opened. The settlement terms are unverified.
Notes. The full case caption, which names the two elders, is recorded in the court record; this site cites the case by its short form.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-de-2016-0126-state-v-laurel-congregation