Utah rep. told Mormon bishop not to report abuse, docs show

FILE - Republican Rep. Merrill Nelson speaks during a special session at the Utah State Capitol Wednesday, April 18, 2018, in Salt Lake City. Nelson, a Utah lawmaker and prominent attorney for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints advised a church bishop not to report a confession of child sex abuse to authorities, a decision that allowed the abuse to continue for years, according to records filed in a 2021 lawsuit by three of Paul Adams™ children. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) FILE - The Salt Lake Temple stands at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5, 2019. Merrill Nelson, a Utah lawmaker and prominent attorney for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints advised a church bishop not to report a confession of child sex abuse to authorities, a decision that allowed the abuse to continue for years, according to records filed in a 2021 lawsuit by three of Paul Adams™ children. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]