Salud Gonzalez v. International Churches of Christ, Inc.

Location: US District Court for the Central District of California

Filed to the US Dristrict Court in December of 2022, the International Churches of Christ’s lawsuit over child sexual abuse allegations are making headlines this week. The detailed stories of those accusing the organization of a cover-up scandal were leaked in the press for publicity. The headlines not only associate blame to the denomination, but go so far as to say the church itself was a cult. Salud, Gonzales, Darleen Diaz, Bernice Perez, Ashley Ruiz, and Elena Peltola are all named as the plaintiffs suing International Churches of Christ Inc. and several other denominational affiliates.

Impact: New child sexual abuse scandal surfaces in international denomination, International Churches of Christ, showcasing the necessity of healthy church procedures to protect the health and safety of attendees.