Child Sex Slave in Watchtower’s House of God

William Briggs was employed (without any salary) by Watchtower to produce videos at Bethel (meaning House of God). Due to his position at Bethel, the Plaintiff and her family split their time between Arizona and New York. Plaintiff and her family would spend three months in New York, where they lived at Bethel, then return back to Arizona for one month, and then go back to New York for three months, and so on and so forth.

Briggs used his stepdaughter as a sex slave during their stay at God’s House, sexually abusing her three to five times per week, and included, but was not limited to, sodomy, rape, forced oral copulation, and urinating in the Plaintiff’s mouth.

The victim’s mother suffered from alcoholism. While the Plaintiff’s family was living at Bethel, her mother would frequently consume alcohol to the point of incapacitation. Once she was incapacitated, Briggs would sexually abuse his stepdaughter in their room at God’s House.

In approximately 1986 when she was 14 years old, the Plaintiff reported her sexual abuse to Michael Filla, an Elder who worked at Bethel. Mr. Filla did nothing in response including not making a report to the New York Police Department (NYPD). Briggs’ sexual abuse of his stepdaughter continued at Bethel after her report to Mr. Filla.

The victim subsequently sought help separately from and reported the sexual abuse to the following elders at Bethel:

• Ted Adams, the Overseer of all video projects
• Mr. Underwood, the Overseer of all international construction at Bethel
• Jack Barr, an Elder and a member of the Governing Body at the time. Mr. Barr told Plaintiff that he would relay her report to the entire Governing Body.
• Mr. Gerrit Losch, now a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses

All five (5) Bethel elders did nothing in response to the victim’s report. After each report Briggs continued to use his daughter as a sex slave right under the nose of Watchtower and the Governing Body. There is no evidence that none of the five (5) elders named above or the Governing called the NYPD or Child Protective Services.

About one week after her report to Mr. Jack Barr, he informed the Plaintiff that the Governing Body had “taken care of it”. He told her that she should feel privileged for having the experiences that she had at Bethel and  that her stepfather was too important to be disciplined because of his role in creating videos at Bethel. Mr. Barr said that they couldn’t do anything about her abuse because her stepfather had only admitted to digitally penetrating and not raping Plaintiff. Furthermore, Mr. Barr threatened the victim with religious sanctions if she continued to talk about her abuse, including being stripped of her privileges as a Pioneer.

Following her report to Mr. Barr, Plaintiff was removed from her mother and stepfather’s room at Bethel. Plaintiff was told that her stepfather would not be told why she was being removed from his room. Watchtower broke this guarantee and Briggs was later informed that the Plaintiff was removed from his room due to her accusations that he was sexually abusing her.

Briggs’ sexual abuse of  the Plaintiff continued when they returned to Arizona. Based on information and belief, while in Arizona Briggs escalated his behavior, including by physically abusing his stepdaughter, in retaliation for Plaintiff’s aforementioned reports.

In or around 1987, Plaintiff reported her ongoing sexual abuse to Mr. Gerrit Losch who responded that it had been handled, that Briggs was sufficiently repentant, and that Plaintiff should not talk to anybody else about the abuse anymore. Following the victim’s report to Mr. Losch, Briggs continued to sexually abuse his stepdaughter at their home in Arizona. There is no evidence that Mr. Barr or the Governing Body called the NYPD.

It is unclear at this time, whether the victim’s mother attempted to make a police report or whether Watchtower officials threatened her with religious sanction should she report the sexual offenses to the NYPD.

Briggs was never disciplined or received religion sanctions by Watchtower or Governing Body for admitting to sexually abusing his stepdaughter. Additionally, the victim ignored Watchtower’s and the Governing Body’s directive to keep quiet about her sexual abuse and continued to report her abuse to several other Jehovah’s Witness members, including several more elders.

Watchtower and the Governing Body retaliated against Plaintiff by imposing religion sanctions, removing her religious privileges as a Pioneer in 1991. On the day that Plaintiff’s privileges were removed, she was also publicly reproved, and her perpetrator Briggs was elevated to the position of Elder. Watchtower and the Governing Body harbored, provided shelter and was permissible toward a religious member who was a monsterous criminal known only to them.

As a result, the victim sustained physical and psychological injuries, including, but not limited to, severe emotional distress, confusion, humiliation, fright, anxiety, a severe shock to her nervous system, and has been caused to suffer physical pain and mental anguish, emotional and psychological damage. Some or all of these injuries are of a permanent and lasting nature. The victim suffers from physical pain and mental anguish, and permanent emotional and psychological damage.