{"id":1095,"date":"2022-07-28T23:32:28","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T23:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/?p=1095"},"modified":"2022-07-28T23:35:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T23:35:09","slug":"2017-fessler-prevails-in-jehovahs-witness-child-abuse-trial-elder-admits-shredding-files-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/news\/2017-fessler-prevails-in-jehovahs-witness-child-abuse-trial-elder-admits-shredding-files-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"2017: Fessler Prevails in Jehovah\u2019s Witness Child Abuse Trial, Elder Admits Shredding Files – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published February 28th, 2017<\/em><\/p>\n

Trial Summary \u2013 Part Two<\/h3>\n

On a blistering summer morning in Reading Pennsylvania. \u00a0I crossed the railroad tracks, then Penn Street \u2013 coffee, briefcase, and boxed lunch in hand.<\/p>\n

Just a few steps away from the Sovereign Convention Center, something caught my eye. On the corner of Penn and 7th avenue, a solitary man stood quietly with a large poster that read: \u201cA Jehovah\u2019s Witness elder molested me.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was 8.30 a.m. Thousands of badge-wearing, convention-bound Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses streamed into the main entrance,\u00a0sliding past this man as though he were invisible.<\/p>\n

His sign quietly proclaimed that he had suffered the ultimate injustice, but no one stopped. No one seemed to care; their minds were intently focused on entering the air-conditioned building, escaping the heat which was building outside.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t remember what I wore that day. I don\u2019t remember which restaurant I went to that evening. I don\u2019t recall which hotel I stayed in. But I remember the man with the sign.<\/p>\n

His presence haunted me. Why was he there? Why would no one speak to him? What had he done wrong? Why was he treated as a man with leprosy?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, just a short distance away, a young girl named Stephanie Fessler was being abused by a Jehovah\u2019s Witness woman more than three times her age. When the relationship was discovered, congregation elders in two states were informed. These elders contacted their legal department in Patterson New York. The elders privately, then publicly reprimanded both Stephanie, and her assailant, Terry Monheim. The police were never notified. \u00a0Child protective services was never informed. The parents of Fessler were caught between the rock of their religion and doing the right thing. Stephanie\u2019s father, Kevin Fessler, was an elder. \u00a0Unfortunately, no one did the right thing.<\/p>\n

Seven years later, Stephanie Fessler, at the age of 22, summoned the courage to tell her story to the police. As a result, Monheim was arrested, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, and was sentenced to prison and probation. Monheim was placed on\u00a0Megan\u2019s list<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the damage was done. The mental anguish, the destruction of a childhood, the lack of protection from her own parents and congregation elders left Stephanie Fessler traumatized and permanently injured. Unless you are a victim of childhood sexual abuse, you may never fully understand what she has been through.<\/p>\n

Stephanie did not want to see this happen to anyone else. The elders for Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses along with their managing corporations, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, and the Christian Congregation of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, were served notice in a civil trial which began February 7th, 2017.<\/p>\n

On February 13th<\/span><\/a>, the Witness corporations, together with the Spring Grove Congregation of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, reached a financial agreement with Fessler after just four days of testimony.<\/p>\n

Using Watchtower\u2019s own language, Fessler\u2019s attorney Jeffrey Fritz stated\u00a0\u201cThe matter with the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses has been resolved.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trial Day 2: Enter,\u00a0Eric Hoffman<\/h3>\n

It is difficult to fathom which is worse \u2013 an elder molesting a young child, or an entire group of elders learning of an accusation, but ignoring their responsibility to inform the authorities and get help for a victim. \u00a0As I sat on the rickety wooden chair at City Hall in Philadelphia, that question entered my mind. My pondering was interrupted at 1:15 PM, when Spring Grove PA elder Eric Hoffman entered the room, and was sworn in by the court officer.<\/p>\n

Attorney for Ms. Fessler, Gregg Zeff, wasted no time in questioning Mr. Hoffman, beginning with his position as a Jehovah\u2019s Witness elder. \u00a0Hoffman has been an elder since 1994.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>An elder is a member of the clergy?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>We are not labeled clergy. We are not\u00a0paid.<\/p>\n

Despite the denial that elders are clergymen, Zeff continues his questioning:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Sir, would you agree that\u00a0clergy must\u00a0report sexual abuse<\/strong>\u00a0of children to protect the\u00a0victim from additional harm?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Would you agree that clergy may never keep\u00a0sexual assault of a child a secret to protect the\u00a0congregation?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>You don\u2019t have any training in\u00a0interviewing children who are victims of sexual\u00a0abuse, do you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

As our readers may recall from\u00a0a prior article on this case<\/a><\/span>, Watchtower representative Thomas Jefferson had testified for 2 consecutive days that Jehovah\u2019s Witness elders are not clergymen, with the implication that the laws which apply to members of the clergy do not apply to Witness elders. Mr. Hoffman upheld that statement. Zeff began a new line of questions related to elders\u2019 strict requirement to follow the direction of their corporate headquarters, or face consequences:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0You received the letters from the\u00a0Watchtower, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman: <\/strong>That\u2019s on their letterhead, correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And you rely on those letters of\u00a0instruction from the Watchtower to perform your
\nduties as an elder, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0We do.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. If you don\u2019t follow the letters of\u00a0instruction the Watchtower may remove you as an\u00a0elder; isn\u2019t that true?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0They could, yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And the Watchtower directs the activity of\u00a0elders, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0We receive direction from them, correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0You don\u2019t receive direction from anyone\u00a0else, do you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Establishing that elder Hoffman took his marching orders directly from Watchtower headquarters, Zeff then asked a critical question which revealed that Hoffman was well aware of the allegation of child abuse:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>In the fall of 2005, you knew that there\u00a0was suspected child abuse involving Stephanie\u00a0Fessler, didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0In the fall of 2005?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. And you, along with Neal Cluck, who\u00a0was another elder, learned of this and a committee\u00a0was formed, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0I believe, yes, it was.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. And you don\u2019t really remember\u00a0anything specific that Stephanie\u2019s father or mother\u00a0told you, do you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>That\u2019s correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. During the first meeting \u2014 you had\u00a0two meetings, didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. So, you don\u2019t really remember when\u00a0the first meeting was?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>According to my notes, the first meeting\u00a0was towards the end of September in 2005.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. Well, what note are you talking\u00a0about, Sir?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0We had a few notes written down.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Let\u2019s look at those notes.<\/p>\n

At this point, attorney Zeff called for the notes of Eric Hoffman to be projected on screen for the jury. As stated by the defense in opening arguments, Watchtower had hoped their elders would testify that they had no real knowledge of any physical or sexual relationship between Fessler and Seipp [Monheim] in 2004, and did not learn of the relationship until 2005.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And are you aware that Stephanie Fessler\u00a0and Terry Seipp are anticipated to both testify that\u00a0they were reproved and disciplined in 2004?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No, I did not.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. So, when you say you have two\u00a0meetings, are you sure that your first meeting took\u00a0place in 2004 \u2014 2005 rather than 2004?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff presses Hoffman harder:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Are you aware that Jodee Fessler has\u00a0testified or will testify in this case that the
\nfirst meeting occurred in 2004?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0May have, but I have no notes and I have\u00a0no recollection of any meeting in 2004.<\/p>\n

Hoffman begins to weaken, his memory suddenly becomes fuzzy:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>So, it\u2019s possible that happened, she might\u00a0be right?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Could be, but I do not remember anything\u00a0about it.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. And the second meeting, the meeting\u00a0that took place in 2005, you have notes from that\u00a0one?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0So, if Stephanie Fessler, Jodee Fessler\u00a0and Terry Seipp all testified that they were
\ninvolved with judicial committees in 2004,\u00a0you\u00a0wouldn\u2019t have any reason to doubt them, would you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoffman<\/strong>:\u00a0Yes, because there\u2019s no notes from a\u00a0judicial committee in 2004.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Well,\u00a0aren\u2019t you told to destroy any\u00a0unnecessary notes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0The only notes I have are what\u2019s there.<\/p>\n

Hoffman, clearly rattled by the barrage of questions, is unable to recall\u00a0Watchtower\u2019s policy related to what they can and can\u2019t destroy<\/a> \u2013 so Zeff focuses on the one thing that becomes crystal clear to the jury \u2013 Hoffman knew that Stephanie was being abused:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0So, in 2005, at least, you were told that\u00a0a 16-year-old girl was making out with a 50-year-old\u00a0woman?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Correct<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. You were suspicious, at that point,\u00a0that this might be child abuse, weren\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0We were suspicious that something was\u00a0going on that shouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n

While Hoffman\u00a0attempted to evade the admission that this was a sexual relationship, Zeff put it to him in a slightly different way:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0It was explained that they were kissing\u00a0romantically?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Right.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Like a boyfriend and girlfriend might,\u00a0right?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Um-hum.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Like a husband and wife might?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Right.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And you didn\u2019t find that to be suspicious\u00a0of child abuse?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Well, that\u2019s why we formed the committee\u00a0then.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. So, you formed the committee\u00a0because you were suspicious?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Because we were suspicious.<\/p>\n

The testimony of Hoffman flowed like a math problem where so many different equations all pointed to the same undisputed answer. But there were more parties involved, and attorney Zeff brought them into the equation:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>When you formed the committee,\u00a0did you contact the Watchtower about it?<\/p>\n

Hoffman<\/strong>:\u00a0We contacted the legal department.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. Well, that\u2019s after you learned\u00a0whatever you learned. But in forming the committee,\u00a0did you seek any guidance from anyone regarding what\u00a0you should do and how you should ask questions?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Attorney Zeff next questions inconsistencies in Hoffman\u2019s previous testimony when he was deposed prior to trial, but when Hoffman fails to provide a concise recollection of his deposition, Zeff finally tells the court: \u201cI\u2019ll move on, Your Honor.\u201d Instead of quietly accepting this statement, the attorney for Spring Grove Congregation, Jud Arron makes the mistake of joking with the court:<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0No objection.<\/p>\n

Judge Mary C. Collins:<\/strong>\u00a0No. Enough!\u00a0 I don\u2019t want any\u00a0snide, unnecessary\u00a0irrelevant\u00a0comments from any lawyers\u00a0participating in this trial.<\/p>\n

Jud Aaron, embarrassed and red-faced, apologizes to the judge and the court.<\/p>\n

Zeff gets Hoffman to admit that he had consulted the elders’ letters and the elders’ manual when handling the Fessler case, then says:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong> In addition to the kissing and making out, Stephanie Fessler told you that there\u00a0was some improper hugging, didn\u2019t she?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And touching of the breasts?<\/p>\n

Hoffman<\/strong>: Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff follows these questions by asking Hoffman to read his notes from the 2005 Spring Grove judicial meeting, where among other details, Hoffman wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was later learned during the meeting that there was touching of the breasts on more than one occasion..\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong> Did you have a concern that there was a 50-year-old woman in another congregation that was making out and touching the breasts of a\u00a016-year-old?<\/p>\n

Hoffman<\/strong>: We did.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. Did you warn anybody about that?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Just talked to Stephanie.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. You didn\u2019t tell the other\u00a0congregation that Stephanie said that her breasts\u00a0were touched and that she was making out with a\u00a050-year-old woman?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0I believe we had conversation with them\u00a0just to make sure the stories were the same.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Did you let the Watchtower know?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. We called the legal department.<\/p>\n

Tensions escalated as testimony from Hoffman had just clearly shown that elders in two congregations were aware of the abuse, that the relationship was undisputed, and that Watchtower was a party to this knowledge. It was further revealed that while all of this was going on, Terry Seipp [Monheim\u2019s] husband Dana had hired a private investigator to follow Terry, suspecting what his wife was doing.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, in a desperate move, Watchtower attorney John Miller cuts in and calls for a sidebar with the judge:<\/p>\n

Miller:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m sorry, Your Honor. You\u00a0already ruled. I was too late to ask, but
\nunless this is breaching the attorney\/client\u00a0privilege, that\u2019s the format you followed, the
\ninstruction you got from the legal department.\u00a0That\u2019s asking for the legal advice given.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Judge, it\u2019s been waived. It\u00a0was asked in deposition and answered. These
\nquestions were asked. They were answered in\u00a0deposition.\u00a0You can\u2019t turn around after not\u00a0asserting the privilege and turn around and\u00a0assert the privilege at trial, when it\u2019s\u00a0already been waived.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0There is plenty case law\u00a0on that.<\/p>\n

Miller:<\/strong>\u00a0We didn\u2019t raise it there?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Nope. It wasn\u2019t raised at all.\u00a0I can show you the pages, 19, 20, 21, 23 of the
\ndeposition.<\/p>\n

Miller:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019ll trust you if you\u2019re \u2014<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Here they are \u2014 where are the\u00a0numbers on the pages?<\/p>\n

Miller:<\/strong>\u00a0So, we missed it on him\u00a0great. Well, then, I\u2019m wasting your time.<\/p>\n

Judge Collins:<\/strong>\u00a0All right. Let\u2019s go back.<\/p>\n

Fessler\u2019s attorney Zeff left no stone unturned, as he pressed Hoffman even harder:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0The reason you contacted the legal\u00a0department was regarding trying to find out what\u00a0your obligations were regarding reporting sexual\u00a0abuse. Isn\u2019t that correct?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And after you spoke to the legal\u00a0department, you didn\u2019t report sexual abuse to any
\nauthority in Pennsylvania, did you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0We did not report to the police, no.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>You never received any instruction that\u00a0there was any legal authority in Pennsylvania to\u00a0report suspected child abuse, did you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And you didn\u2019t tell Stephanie Fessler\u2019s\u00a0parents that they could go to the police either, did\u00a0you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>We may not have, no.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. You didn\u2019t. \u00a0Thank you.\u00a0I have nothing further.<\/p>\n

Zeff, satisfied that he had extracted enough truth from Hoffman to make his case, yielded the floor to Spring Grove’s hired trial attorney Jud Aaron. Aaron proceeds to discuss Hoffman\u2019s prior deposition in which Thomas Jefferson was mentioned \u2013 with little effect \u2013 then asks Hoffman about his position as elder, and gets Hoffman to describe the humble simplicity of a typical Kingdom Hall.<\/p>\n

In Aaron\u2019s examination of Hoffman, it was interesting that he mentioned that Stephanie\u2019s parents came to him in 2005 seeking help in his position as an ordained elder of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. At this point in the trial, this is of consequence since Hoffman and Watchtower were still claiming on the 2nd day of trial that elders were\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>members of the clergy. It seems he was reasoning that if Hoffman were not a clergyman, then he would have no obligation to report the relationship to the police.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Were they [the Fesslers] coming to you as an elder?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. Did they tell you that Stephanie\u00a0Fessler and Terry Seipp were having some sort of a\u00a0relationship?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>That\u2019s the way I remember it, some sort of\u00a0a relationship, correct.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>And what were you expected to do? What\u00a0did you do as an elder?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0First time we met with Stephanie just to\u00a0determine what was going on, to give her some\u00a0biblical help, some counsel to, hopefully, help her\u00a0change her ways, to find out what was going on.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0What do you mean \u201cbiblical help,\u201d\u00a0generally?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m just showing her some scriptures, some\u00a0verses on the type of conduct she was leading, that\u00a0it was going against biblical principles and how to\u00a0help to \u2014 how to go against that.<\/p>\n

Jud Aaron next gets Hoffman to testify that in 2005, the Fesslers never told him that there was a sexual relationship between Stephanie and Terry. This was clearly a conflict given that it would be somewhat unusual for Witness parents to seek help from elders if the relationship was a routine mother-daughter type relationship. Aaron attempts to prove that Hoffman knew nothing until he personally confronted Stephanie in 2005.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>You said that you met with Stephanie in\u00a0the fall of 2005?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. Did you try to determine what the\u00a0nature of the relationship was?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, we did.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Did you try to determine whether or not it\u00a0was sexual?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, we did.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>And in the course of meeting with\u00a0Miss Fessler in the fall of 2005, did you learn that\u00a0there had been some sexual contact between them?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, we did.<\/p>\n

Of interest, Aaron questions Hoffman on whether he had asked the victim if she had been naked with Monheim, or had participated in oral sex. Incredibly, Hoffman states that he had no information from Fessler that there had been any touching of the genitals, or that the two had been naked together, despite having just testified that he knew there was an ongoing sexual relationship.<\/p>\n

Aaron returns once again to his 2014 argument, this time asking a hypothetical question:<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>If, a year earlier, 2004 \u2014 I\u2019m asking\u00a0about your practice now \u2014 a year earlier in 2004, a\u00a015-year-old female congregant had told you that she\u00a0and a 49 or 50-year-old woman were involved in a\u00a0relationship that involved intimate kissing,\u00a0open-mouth kissing, french kissing, romantic\u00a0kissing, whatever you want to call it, would you
\nhave called the legal department for advice?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, we would have.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. Do you have any recollection of\u00a0doing so a year earlier, in the fall of 2004?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>Well, let me ask you about yourself. Did\u00a0you ever tell Mr. and Mrs. Fessler that they should\u00a0not report this relationship to authorities?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Aaron decides to conclude his questioning of the witness, and yields the floor. John Miller from Watchtower has no questions for Mr. Hoffman, and redirect returns to the plaintiff, and Mr. Zeff.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Did you have a specific memory, sitting\u00a0here today \u2014 what is it, ten, eleven,
\neleven-and-a-half years later of asking Stephanie\u00a0Fessler whether or not she had oral sex?<\/p>\n

Hoffman<\/strong>:\u00a0Well, according to my notes, we asked her\u00a0if there was anything else involved and she said no.<\/p>\n

Zeff<\/strong>:\u00a0Okay. So, you asked her if there was\u00a0anything else involved?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Right.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>You didn\u2019t ask her if she had oral sex.\u00a0You didn\u2019t ask her if she was naked?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0We may not have, no.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And do you consider making out and\u00a0touching breasts to be a sexual act?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And when you went to the legal department,\u00a0you really weren\u2019t sure what to do with this\u00a0situation, were you?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And you relied on the legal department?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, we did.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And the legal department is part of the\u00a0Watchtower?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. If the legal department told you to\u00a0report the matter, would you have done so?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Yes, we would have.<\/p>\n

Zeff completes his examination by asking Hoffman to explain Stephanie Fessler\u2019s public reproof by the congregation elders, then turns the witness over one last time to the defense. This time, Watchtower attorney Miller decides to ask Mr. Hoffman a question:<\/p>\n

Miller:\u00a0<\/strong>Mr. Hoffman, just briefly.\u00a0You said that the legal department was part\u00a0of the\u00a0Watchtower. Do you know whether it was part of the\u00a0Watchtower or the U.S. Branch or some other entity?\u00a0Do you know?<\/p>\n

Hoffman:<\/strong> We just get the information\u00a0on the letterhead. I am not sure what\u00a0department it\u2019s with, what branch it\u2019s with.\u00a0It\u2019s with the United States Branch.<\/p>\n

Miller:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. That\u2019s all. Thank\u00a0you.<\/p>\n

By the end of Hoffman\u2019s testimony, he had admitted on the witness stand that a member of the clergy should report allegations of child sexual abuse<\/strong><\/em>, but he denied being a member of the clergy. He further admitted that his instructions came directly from the Watchtower, but seemed confused as to the difference between Watchtower and the US Branch. Hoffman acknowledged that he was well aware of a sexual relationship between Fessler and Monheim no later than 2005, but lost all recollection of the 2004 meeting with Fessler, in which she was privately reproved. Finally, Hoffman admitted that he failed to contact any authorities, and did not advise Fessler\u2019s parents to contact these authorities. He yielded his decision-making power to the Watchtower legal department, testifying that\u00a0if they had told him to go to the police, he would have.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0This never happened.<\/p>\n

Elder #2: Donald Hollingworth<\/h3>\n

On the other side of the Mason-Dixon line lies the Freeland, Maryland congregation of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. \u00a0This small, tight-knit congregation in rural Baltimore County has little money, and a simple Kingdom Hall. I recall donating and installing sound equipment at this location after congregation member Terry Monheim had abused Stephanie Fessler, but three years before her arrest. I was unaware that a predator lurked nearby.<\/p>\n

Little did I know that in a few short years, I would sit inside a Philadelphia courtroom, observing legal powerhouse Jud Aaron attempt to defend the outrageous actions of elders Gary Neal, Scott Wagner, and Donald Hollingworth. In a thousand years, they could not summon the money to pay for his services, but there he was.<\/p>\n

Donald Hollingworth is now elderly, wears a hearing aid, and lives in Toms River, New Jersey. A loyal Jehovah\u2019s Witness for over 50 years, Hollingworth has been an elder for 40 of those years. But for all his loyalty to the Jehovah\u2019s Witness religion, Donald and his fellow elders made a critical error in 2004 and 2005 which cost their parent corporation, Watchtower, a significant amount of money. It also\u00a0damaged the reputation of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, who are under intense global scrutiny for their mishandling of child abuse cases, and for their practice of shunning, and denying members the right to certain life-saving medical treatments.<\/p>\n

Attorney for Stephanie Fessler, Gregg Zeff, began the questioning of Hollingworth with the same query he put to Eric Hoffman:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019d like\u00a0to know would you agree that\u00a0clergy must report\u00a0sexual abuse in children<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>to protect the victim from\u00a0additional harm?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Do I agree with that?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And do you agree that\u00a0clergy may never\u00a0keep sexual abuse of a child the secre<\/strong>t<\/strong><\/em> to protect\u00a0the congregation?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Oh, yes, yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Thank you.<\/p>\n

After confirming that Hollingworth has no professional training in the investigation of sexual abuse matters, Zeff gets specific:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. Did you have any understanding in\u00a02004 or 2005 of your obligations regarding reporting\u00a0suspected child abuse in Pennsylvania or in\u00a0Maryland?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0What was your understanding back then?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0For \u2014 that\u00a0there was no duty to report it<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0as far as from a procedural standpoint. \u00a0That doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t feel a duty, but\u00a0there was no legal duty to report it.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Zeff<\/strong>:\u00a0Sir, you received that understanding from\u00a0the legal department?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s correct.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay, and the legal department of what?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses.<\/p>\n

At this point, it is noteworthy that Hollingworth had testified that members of clergy must report sexual abuse allegations to the authorities and not keep them secret, but moments later stated that according to Watchtower\u2019s legal department, he had no legal duty to report,<\/strong>\u00a0despite his own feeling of duty to report.<\/strong>\u00a0Hollingworth hid beneath the double cloak of justification\u00a0\u2013 the notion that he was not a member of clergy, and the counsel from his own organization that he had no obligation to report.<\/p>\n

It seems unthinkable that any Witness elder could make the statement that church leaders from other religions have an obligation to report, but Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses are somehow exempt. Witnesses teach that all religions are \u201cfalse\u201d religions, except theirs. It must have baffled members of the jury to reconcile how an organization that claims to abhor child abuse could be so delinquent in helping victims.<\/p>\n

Zeff continued his questioning of Hollingworth, describing the letters from Watchtower to the elders. Hollingworth seemed confused when Zeff stated\u00a0that prior to 2001, these letters came from the Watchtower corporation. Hollingworth said \u201cI\u2019m not sure of that\u2026Right now I wasn\u2019t prepared for that\u00a0question, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

When pressed about the relationship between Monheim and Fessler, Zeff asked:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0You never found out the age of the girl\u00a0she was kissing, did you?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth<\/strong>:\u00a0I knew she was a teenager, and the\u00a0approximate age of this other lady\u2019s children,\u00a0because she associated with them. I knew she wasn\u2019t\u00a019. I knew she wasn\u2019t 13, but somewhere in between.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And when you learned of this, a committee\u00a0was formed, wasn\u2019t it, a judicial committee?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. You were the chairman of that\u00a0committee?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>It wasn\u2019t me. It was either one of the\u00a0other two brothers. I can\u2019t tell you for a\u00a0certainty today.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I believe it was Gary Neal, but that\u2019s not\u00a0for a certainty.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And one of the primary functions of your\u00a0committee was to determine whether or not you had an\u00a0obligation to legal authorities relating to this\u00a0matter.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>An obligation to do what?<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>To report to legal authorities in this\u00a0matter.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I don\u2019t know if I had that \u2014 I don\u2019t know\u00a0if that \u2014 I went in to find out what was going on,\u00a0and so I didn\u2019t start thinking about a lot of other\u00a0things I\u2019d have to do until I could find out what\u00a0was going on.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0But you did consult with the legal\u00a0department?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, I did.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And you were told you didn\u2019t have any duty\u00a0under Maryland law, correct?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I didn\u2019t have any duty to report; is that\u00a0what you asked me?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. You had no duty to report?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth<\/strong>:\u00a0No legal duty.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Right.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0There was no law that said I had to report.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And, in fact, you didn\u2019t report anything,\u00a0did you?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0No, I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>And neither did any member of your\u00a0committee, to your knowledge?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0To my knowledge.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth Admits to Shredding Notes<\/h3>\n

The examination by Zeff then took an interesting turn.\u00a0Zeff calls for the presentation of Hollingworth\u2019s notes, taken in 2005 when meeting with the abuser, Terry Seipp:<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Why did you take these notes?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Because I don\u2019t have a very good memory\u00a0over the years, business and meetings that I go to,\u00a0and so I take notes in case there\u2019s a reason to\u00a0recall, in case there\u2019s a discussion later, in case\u00a0there\u2019s another meeting.\u00a0I always take notes. It\u2019s my habit\u00a0as a businessman, I always took notes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And with regard to being an elder, you had\u00a0a practice of making notes and tearing them up and\u00a0shredding them on occasion, didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>Yeah, shredding is in a \u2014 yeah, I had a\u00a0shredder, but I don\u2019t know. I \u2014 yeah, I didn\u2019t\u00a0keep them. I didn\u2019t keep them. I didn\u2019t want them\u00a0laying around or anything.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>That was something that the letters to\u00a0elders suggest that you do or instructed you to do,\u00a0in fact, don\u2019t leave notes around, destroy them if\u00a0they\u2019re not necessary?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Well, that\u2019s possible. I always, even\u00a0be \u2014 I, if a confidential nature, I would have\u00a0enough sense not to leave them laying around.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth revealed a critical detail that the Watchtower organization does not want the public to know \u2013 that elders often discard, shred, move, hide, and destroy notes, not only in cases where lesser offenses are concerned, but even when accusations of child abuse are on the record, contrary to their official policy.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth Invokes Clergy Privilege \u2013 He Learned it on Television<\/h3>\n

Attorney Zeff continued to gain momentum as he called attention to his next exhibit:\u00a0the notes taken by Donald Hollingworth during the Jehovah\u2019s Witness judicial hearing for Terry Monheim. Zeff displayed the notes for the jury:<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0 (reading his notes) \u00a0<\/strong>It says: \u201cAfter assurance the\u00a0committee members would not testify in a legal case,\u00a0she was relieved and more forthcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0So, did you tell Terry Seipp that no\u00a0member of the committee was going to testify against\u00a0her?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>Well, I think you know \u2014 you\u2019re thinking of something different than I\u2019m thinking of. The legal case we\u2019re talking about and she was worried about her husband divorcing her or thinking she would \u2014 and we were telling her that anything that she told us, we wouldn\u2019t use in her divorce case against her husband, or vice versa. And we had thought we had a right to do that.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Did you learn that from the legal\u00a0department?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Pardon?<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Did you learn that from the legal\u00a0department?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0No. I learned that from watching\u00a0television, I guess\u2026<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>You learned from watching television that\u00a0if she tells you something in your committee that\u00a0you don\u2019t have to testify in a divorce proceeding?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>Well, not as member of the clergy, I would\u00a0think it would become \u2014 well, you know, maybe I\u2019m\u00a0wrong but I would think it would be confidential.<\/p>\n

At this point, Hollingworth is trapped- \u00a0painting himself into a very tiny corner with no way out, without making a mess. In 2005, he interviewed a sexual predator, but instead of contacting the authorities, he assured Terry Monheim that her admissions to the elders would not be used against her in any divorce proceedings. Somehow he invoked clergy privilege while denying that he is a member of clergy. Furthermore, he is completely unaware that clergy privilege does not exist when a sizable group of elders and additional individuals have been made aware of Monheim\u2019s crimes.<\/p>\n

To be blunt, Hollingworth appeared extraordinarily ignorant. What is more bizarre is that he claims Watchtower\u2019s legal department advised him that he had no duty to report such allegations, or confessions of sexual abuse. Maryland law at the time mandated the reporting of child abuse, but the\u00a0exemptions for members of clergy were somewhat vague<\/a>, which likely prompted Watchtower\u2019s legal department to suggest that he had no obligation to report the abuse. \u00a0In most states, child abuse exemptions become null and void once clergymen broadcast the private confessions to other members of the elder body, along with the additional individuals, i.e. the legal and service departments of the Jehovah\u2019s Witness organization.<\/p>\n

The questioning continued as attorney Zeff called attention to Hollingworth\u2019s notes from his phone call to Watchtower\u2019s legal department<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>What are they about?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>That was my notes about when I had \u2014 I\u00a0called, contacted the legal department to discuss\u00a0the matter with them and I wrote down some notes with regard to that call.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. Did you ever contact or did anybody\u00a0on your committee ever contact the Spring Grove\u00a0congregation where Stephanie Fessler was a member?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Did anybody on your committee contact them\u00a0to let \u2014<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. And they let them know there was an\u00a0investigation into a possible sexual abuse?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019d have to ask them what they let them\u00a0know.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. I want to go to the section toward\u00a0the bottom where it says \u201cwant us to review\u00a0society\u2019s letters with all seven elders.\u201d\u00a0Do you see that?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, I do.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>What do you mean by that?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0What it says, review the letters \u2013with the whole body of elders, all of
\nthe elders in the congregation.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>It says \u201cwith all seven elders,\u201d is that\u00a0everybody?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0What does it say?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0It says \u201cWant us to review society\u2019s\u00a0letters with all seven elders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, that would be our elder body at the\u00a0time.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. And that has to do with your\u00a0investigation into Terry Seipp?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>Well, it\u2019s in \u2014 my telephone call was an\u00a0investigation that had to deal with that, yes. And\u00a0what exactly they told me to read those letters for,\u00a0I don\u2019t remember.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Who told you to read those letters?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Whoever I was talking to at the legal\u00a0department. And I am assuming that because, that\u2019s\u00a0the notes of that. I don\u2019t know for a fact today\u00a0who told me to do it, but I\u2019m assuming that\u2019s what\u00a0it would be. And I shouldn\u2019t be making assumptions,\u00a0should I?<\/p>\n

Zeff states that he has copies of those letters, and tells Hollingworth that he will now review them, beginning with the\u00a0July 1, 1989 letter to the body of elders.<\/a><\/span> \u00a0Hollingworth admits that he likely would have reviewed this letter at that time, acknowledging that it was a very important document to review.<\/p>\n

Another revelation came when Zeff references\u00a0the\u00a0January 1, 1997<\/a><\/span>\u00a0Watchtower article titled \u201cLet us abhor what is wicked.\u201d \u00a0Under the topic \u201cWhat of a Child Molester?\u201d the Watchtower stated:<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0If, for example, an individual makes immoral advances to another adult, the adult should be able to resist his or her advances. Children are much easier to deceive, confuse, or terrorize. The Bible speaks of a child\u2019s lack of wisdom. (Proverbs 22:15; 1\u00a0Corinthians 13:11) Jesus used children as an example of humble innocence. (Matthew 18:4; Luke 18:16, 17) The innocence of a child includes a complete lack of experience. Most children are open, eager to please, and thus vulnerable to abuse by a scheming adult whom they know and trust. Therefore, the congregation has a responsibility before Jehovah to protect its children.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Zeff questions Hollingworth:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. Do you remember reviewing this?\u00a0And I\u2019ll read it to you so you
\nunderstand it. Do you remember reviewing this at\u00a0the time of the judicial committee? It says\u00a0\u201cChildren are much easier to deceive, confuse or\u00a0terrorize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I don\u2019t remember at the time of the\u00a0committee but, sir, I mentioned before, I had a lot\u00a0of children and I\u2019m very conscious of this need.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. And\u00a0had the legal department told\u00a0you to, you would have called the police, called\u00a0child services?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I don\u2019t need to be told.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I \u2014 I don\u2019t mean to be fresh or anything\u00a0but, no, I told you, I \u2014 abhor is a word that\u2019s\u00a0worse than hatred and I don\u2019t like this thing and I\u00a0don\u2019t like being involved in it even now, to come\u00a0being asked about it.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Right. You don\u2019t really need to be told\u00a0to call the police, do you? You could have done it\u00a0anyway?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth: \u00a0<\/strong>Would I what?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0You could have called the police even if\u00a0the legal department told you not to?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth<\/strong>:\u00a0Yes. In hindsight, yes.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0But you didn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Pardon?<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0You did not?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s already been answered.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Okay. You didn\u2019t talk to Stephanie\u00a0Fessler\u2019s congregation about her version of the
\nstory, did you?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I said no, I didn\u2019t talk to anybody.<\/p>\n

Zeff questioned whether the Maryland congregation had any meaningful discussions with the Spring Grove Pennsylvania congregation regarding the welfare of Stephanie Fessler:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0One more time, Sir. You had concerns\u00a0about the welfare of the teenaged girl that was\u00a0involved with Terry Seipp? You were concerned about\u00a0her?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yeah, I have concerns with all young\u00a0people, absolute \u2014 yes. Would I say no? Of\u00a0course, I would be an ogre to say no to that.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And but you wanted to follow the legal\u00a0department\u2019s advise rather than doing anything else;\u00a0isn\u2019t that correct?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>You know, I wasn\u2019t dealing with a teenage\u00a0girl. We were dealing with Terry Seipp at our\u00a0congregation. Please, there was \u2014 another\u00a0congregation was dealing with the teenage girl.\u00a0It doesn\u2019t mean \u2014 my feelings in the\u00a0matter and my thoughts in the matter don\u2019t apply to\u00a0what would have been \u2014 how it would have been\u00a0handled. So, you\u2019re confusing me and you\u2019re\u00a0confusing the issue.<\/p>\n

It seems that the invisible boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, along with Hollingworth\u2019s instructions from the Watchtower legal department overruled his better judgment, permitting him to ignore the fact that a crime had taken place, and that he was obligated to report this crime. Hollingworth admitted that he was also aware that Terry Seipp [Monheim\u2019s] husband Dana had learned of the relationship, and hired a private investigator to confirm his suspicions. \u00a0Mr. Seipp wasted no time in sharing this information with the Freeland elders:<\/p>\n

Zeff: \u00a0<\/strong>You had a suspicion that she might\u00a0be abusing a child?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>I wanted to know the facts.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. Well \u2014<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Her husband wouldn\u2019t say, and he was not a\u00a0member of our congregation. I only knew him once to\u00a0say hello to him. He comes up and says \u201cI\u2019ve got\u00a0pictures, but I won\u2019t tell you what they\u2019re about,\u00a0but you\u2019d better do something about it,\u201d that kind\u00a0of \u2014\u00a0what are we supposed to do?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Call the police?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Despite a sustained objection from defense attorney Jud Aaron, Zeff had landed a knockout punch with this last question, which lingered in the courtroom while Mr. Aaron made his way to the lectern to cross-examine Mr. Hollingworth.<\/p>\n

In what seemed to be a desperate move, Aaron\u00a0rested his argument of the claim that elders are, in double-negative fashion,\u00a0not told not\u00a0<\/strong>to report<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Are you aware of any Jehovah\u2019s Witness\u00a0policy not to report child sexual abuse to\u00a0authorities? Are you aware of any such policy?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0No.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0In any of the letters to elders that you\u00a0read or KS schools that you\u2019ve attended \u2014 have you\u00a0attended those schools?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, Sir.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>In any of those letters in those KS\u00a0schools, have you ever been instructed or directed\u00a0not to report sexual abuse to authorities?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0No way. No way.<\/p>\n

Aaron:\u00a0<\/strong>What have you been instructed to do if a\u00a0report of sexual abuse comes to your attention?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>Contact the legal department.<\/p>\n

Aaron never once asks Hollingworth if elders are\u00a0instructed<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>to report any allegations of suspected child abuse; instead he diverts attention from that critical question \u2013 first by allowing Hollingworth to testify \u00a0that he is a family man, with many children and grandchildren. Aaron questions Hollingworth on what he recalls Terry Seipp admitting during the elder\u2019s judicial hearing with Seipp, then goes back to the procedure these men followed after that hearing:<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0After the judicial committee met with\u00a0Terry Seipp, you reported to legal?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Did you feel that you were following the\u00a0correct procedure and doing that?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

After referring to the\u00a0March 23, 1992 Letter to Elders<\/a><\/span>\u00a0regarding child abuse, Aaron calls attention to page 3 of that letter where further abuse of children can be prevented by contacting the legal department of the Watchtower organization.<\/p>\n

He then links \u201cfurther protection\u201d to Hollingworth\u2019s earlier statement that elders are\u00a0not told not<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0to report abuse:<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Have you ever been advised as an elder or\u00a0are you aware of any direction that, in order to\u00a0protect the Jehovah\u2019s Witness religion, child abuse\u00a0should\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>be reported to authorities?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>To the contrary. The reason I\u2019m a\u00a0Jehovah\u2019s Witness today \u2014 I wasn\u2019t always one \u2014\u00a0was because of their concern for the truthfulness\u00a0and taking care of people and taking \u2014 the whole\u00a0thing, it just made so much sense. No, that would
\nnever happen.<\/p>\n

Aaron:<\/strong>\u00a0Thank you.<\/p>\n

Aaron rests his line of questioning and yields the floor to his fellow defense team members. Watchtower\u2019s Miller has no questions, and CCJW attorney Louis Lombardi continues his legal vow of silence by offering nothing. The plaintiff is offered redirect.<\/p>\n

Victims Discouraged from Group Therapy<\/h1>\n

Attorney Zeff directs attention back to the\u00a0March 23rd Letter to Elders<\/a><\/span>, this time to the section where Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses are cautioned against participation in group therapy as a means to help victims of child abuse.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Sir, can I direct your attention to the\u00a0very last paragraph of the page that we just put in\u00a0front of you where it says \u201cSome medical\u00a0professionals,\u201d and it goes onto the next page.\u00a0I just wanted to ask you some\u00a0questions about that, because you just said some
\nthings that, I guess, were a little disturbing to me. \u201cSome medical professionals and therapists offer group therapy to those suffering from the effects of child abuse. While participating in group therapy by a professional therapist is a personal decision, there could be problems of revealing confidential facts about other members of the Christian Congregation during such therapy if a Christian does not exercise discretion. Thus,
\nelders can give cautions to their brothers and\u00a0sisters, just as outlined in October 15, 2008 issue\u00a0of Watchtower, page 29, under the subheading Talking\u00a0Therapy. \u00a0\u201cThey can be helped to see that\u00a0talking indiscriminately to others about child abuse\u00a0may result in circulating damaging and harmful\u00a0talk.\u201d \u00a0Sir, what do you understand that to\u00a0mean?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>I may be missing some details here, but my\u00a0\u2014 I\u2019m focusing on the last sentence here. We don\u2019t\u00a0go talking about it and gossiping about it and \u2013It\u2019s not something to be\u00a0broadcasting.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Sir, my question is talking about child abuse may result in circulating damaging and harmful talk, so they don\u2019t \u2014 isn\u2019t this telling you \u2014 by the way, this is one of the documents you had that were referred to? \u00a0\u00a0What do you understand \u2013 they can be helped to see that talking indiscriminately to others about child abuse may result in circulating damaging and harmful talk? What do you understand that to mean?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0T<\/strong>o be careful and think about it. Think\u00a0before you speak. It makes sense to me.<\/p>\n

Hollingworth dodges the question, reflecting his inability to comment on Watchtower\u2019s position on group therapy, so Zeff moves on. Zeff next asks Hollingworth to explain \u201cKS\u201d schools, and Hollingworth describes the elder\u2019s training program. Zeff then asks:<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0On the occasions is the issue of child\u00a0abuse brought up at those schools?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m sure it has.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0And these schools are conducted by the\u00a0Watchtower?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>They\u2019re conducted by a Jehovah\u2019s Witness.\u00a0I\u2019m not sure why \u2014 they\u2019re conducted by a Jehovah\u2019s\u00a0Witness instructor.<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>Okay. And where does that instructor come\u00a0from?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:\u00a0<\/strong>They come from a lot of different places.\u00a0Sometimes it\u2019s our circuit overseer who comes\u00a0from \u2014 we have apartments for them in the local\u00a0Kingdom Halls. Different instructors, different\u00a0times over the years, there\u2019s been \u2014 they come from\u00a0a lot of different places.<\/p>\n

Zeff:<\/strong>\u00a0Do the documents that you review in these\u00a0schools come from the Watchtower?<\/p>\n

Hollingworth:<\/strong>\u00a0I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know that the\u00a0Watchtower sends out documents. They give us\u00a0literature. They give us some literature. We\u00a0get \u2014 they take care of our printing of our\u00a0literature. I don\u2019t know. I just can\u2019t answer that\u00a0question. You would have to ask somebody that comes\u00a0from there. \u00a0Would it be all right if I have some
\nmore water?<\/p>\n

Zeff:\u00a0<\/strong>I have nothing else, Your\u00a0Honor.<\/p>\n

In response to Hollingworth\u2019s testimony, Watchtower attorney Miller cross-examined the witness to clarify just one thing: while warned against the dangers of group therapy, Jehovah\u2019s Witness abuse survivors are not excluded from individual therapy. It seemed somewhat inconsequential to mention this, but Miller appeared intent on making the jury aware that Witnesses do accept some types of professional therapy.<\/p>\n

Of course, Miller overlooks the fact that much of Stephanie Fessler\u2019s extreme trauma was, in the first place, caused by the elders and the organization which treated her as a sinner and not a victim.<\/p>\n

The tired and thirsty Hollingworth seemed confused and unwilling to give concise and lucid answers to questions that were quite simple \u2013 particularly for a man who has spent the past 40 years of his life as an appointed elder. \u00a0To be fair, Watchtower\u2019s key witness Thomas Jefferson was even more evasive, as seen from his testimony during the\u00a0first two days of this trial.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

As anyone who has studied Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses understands all too well, leaders in the organization are less than willing to divulge information to anyone they feel is \u201cnot entitled to know\u201d such information. How ironic for a religion that describes all of its teachings and practices as \u201cThe Truth.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

For readers of this site, whether they are Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses or not, I can\u2019t underestimate the value of this term, truth<\/strong><\/em>. At the outset of this trial, Judge Mary C. Collins told the jury that they are the sole determiners of truth in this case, and it was up to them to decide on which information is factual, based on the evidence presented.<\/p>\n

While this case was settled after four days of testimony, we have, as global citizens, been given the opportunity to judge the evidence for ourselves, and draw our own conclusions. Thus far, we have covered the statements of three Jehovah\u2019s witnesses, including two elders and one high-ranking member of the organization. In our next article on the Fessler case, I will review the testimony of the abuser, Terry Monheim, and the detective who charged her for her crimes, Lisa Layden.<\/p>\n

Having seen the evidence presented in this case, I think back to that hot summer morning in Reading Pennsylvania, when I saw the man with the sign which read \u201cA Jehovah\u2019s Witness elder molested me\u201d \u2013 and if there was ever a doubt that he was telling the truth, that doubt no longer exists.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published February 28th, 2017 Trial Summary \u2013 Part Two On a blistering summer morning in Reading Pennsylvania. \u00a0I crossed the railroad tracks, then Penn Street \u2013 coffee, briefcase, and boxed lunch in hand. Just a few steps away from the Sovereign Convention Center, something caught my eye. On the corner of Penn and 7th avenue, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[64,62,63],"class_list":["post-1095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courts","category-news","tag-child-abuse-jehovahs-witnesses","tag-fessler-v-watchtower","tag-stephanie-fessler"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1095"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1110,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095\/revisions\/1110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwchildabuse.org\/xqllht\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}