MacGregor v. Walker
Annotate this CaseThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church) established a help line, which Church clergy could call when they became aware of possible abuse. Plaintiff filed a personal injury suit against the Church, claiming that her Church bishop negligently failed to report her abuse as required by the reporting statute and that the Church was vicariously liable for the bishop’s negligent conduct. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the Church, concluding that the Church was immune from suit under the First Amendment. The Supreme Court affirmed but on different grounds, holding (1) the Church and its clergy did not voluntarily assume a duty to aid abuse victims by virtue of its help line because a clergy member’s failure to use the help line does not increase a victim’s risk of harm; and (2) the imposition of a duty based solely on the creation of the help line would be contrary to public policy because it would discourage organizations from providing services that ultimately benefit victims of abuse.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.