Hypocrisy Exposed: Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Top Lawyer Sanctioned for Misleading Court in Child Abuse Case

Philip Brumley, General Counsel for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

Published and written by: Miss Usato, July 14th, 2025

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK — In a landmark ruling that cuts through decades of institutional denial, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld sanctions against Philip Brumley, longtime General Counsel for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, after he submitted a sworn affidavit that the court found demonstrated reckless disregard for the truth in a case involving child sexual abuse within Jehovah’s Witness congregations. In this article, Jason Wynne is interviewed for insight into the case’s implications.

“This is not just legal misconduct—this is institutional betrayal”

Philip Brumley’s affidavit—central to the organization’s failed attempt to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction was crafted to obscure the true role of the Watchtower’s corporate arm in Montana during the 1970s and 80s, precisely when the abuse occurred. The court determined that his actions delayed justice for survivors by more than 17 months and ordered Brumley to personally pay $158,448.11 in legal costs.

“This is not just legal misconduct—this is institutional betrayal,” said Jason Wynne, a child abuse advocate for current and former believing members of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “For years, Jehovah’s Witness leaders like Brumley have publicly condemned the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse scandals while secretly engaging in the same cover-ups, silencing tactics, and legal maneuvering to protect their own reputation.”

Watchtower publications have routinely criticized other religious institutions, particularly the Catholic Church, for failing to protect children from abuse. Yet internal policies—such as the notorious “two-witness rule”—have allowed predators within the Jehovah’s Witness organization to escape accountability. Survivors who reported abuse were often shunned or disfellowshipped.

Brumley, as the organization’s top legal authority, helped architect the very culture of legal obstruction that has stifled investigations and retraumatized victims. His affidavit was not submitted as a neutral fact witness, as he later claimed—it was filed as a calculated legal instrument to prevent survivors from accessing justice.

Adding insult to injury, Brumley, knowing full well that the Ninth Circuit was weighing his conduct, authored a July 2025 Watchtower article titled “The Battle Belongs to Jehovah”, positioning himself and the Watchtower leadership as righteous victims under spiritual attack.

The article, which paints opposition as ‘battles waged by Satan,’ was published shortly before the court affirmed his sanctions for misleading conduct in a child sexual abuse case. This timing is not a coincidence—it is damage control masquerading as doctrine.

“This is not a spiritual battle—it’s a legal and moral reckoning,” said Wynne. “While survivors fight for justice in court, Brumley fights to protect his image in a magazine. He is preaching faith while evading accountability. That’s not faith—it’s manipulation.”

Watchtower leaders have long used their literature to discredit critics and shield themselves from scrutiny. Members are conditioned to interpret lawsuits, media investigations, and whistleblower accounts as attacks from ‘the world,’ rather than serious moral failures. Articles like Brumley’s are designed to pre-emptively dismiss external accountability as spiritual persecution, ensuring followers stay loyal even as the truth comes out.

“The hypocrisy is staggering”

“legal credentials don’t make you immune from consequences, and moral posturing won’t erase complicity in abuse.” -Jason Wynne

“Publishing a spiritual deflection before your court loss isn’t just deceitful—it’s strategic propaganda,” said Wynne. “It’s a method of inoculating followers against facts. And it proves yet again that this organization prioritizes control over truth. The hypocrisy is staggering. Brumley wasn’t protecting faith—he was protecting power. This ruling should send a clear message: legal credentials don’t make you immune from consequences, and moral posturing won’t erase complicity in abuse.”

This decision marks a turning point in holding religious legal operatives accountable for their role in obstructing justice. It also lends renewed credibility to survivors who have long claimed that the organization’s internal handling of abuse is designed not to protect children, but to shield the institution at all costs.

Survivors and advocates call for further investigation, institutional transparency, and for Philip Brumley to step down from all positions of authority within the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He must resign—not just as General Counsel for Watch Tower, but as a licensed attorney, and as an elder of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He has forfeited the moral, legal, and spiritual credibility required to occupy any position of trust. Continuing to lead, advise, or represent while carrying this stain is not just unacceptable—it is grotesque.

“Silence is not neutrality. Misleading the courts is not a ministry. And child protection does not begin with public condemnations—it begins with truth, accountability, and positive change.” -Jason Wynne.

If you would like to read more about Philip Brumley, or see his deleted video from their site regarding higher education, and how the organization had sent him to Law school, despite telling Jehovah’s Witnesses to do no such thing, you can find it on the Homepage under ‘Deleted Videos’

Additional Articles and uploaded documents on this subject:

01/28/2025 Documents: Mapley, Rowland, Caekaert, Schulze vs. Brumley and Watchtower

07/06/25 Documents: Final Judgement on Philip Brumley

Watchtowers Top Lawyer fights $154K Sanction with the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, and loses

Philip Brumleys sustained effort to deceive

Philip Brumley, Legal Prophet?