Sexual Abuse From LDS Counselor Alleged

SALT LAKE CITY (CN) - A teen-age victim of sexual abuse says she was abused again by her counselor at LDS Family Services. The woman says her counselor, William Chadwick Holbrook, told her that "being intimate would help ... with her emotional problems," that she was being "demonized by evil spirits," repeatedly asked her to stay overnight at his house, and called her "in the middle of the night on an almost daily basis."

"Holbrook also invited plaintiff to stay at his house in a bed downstairs, where he cuddled and caressed her to help her. He also claimed that plaintiff's personalities asked him to do so," according to the complaint.

The woman says Holbrook had sex with her in the home where he lived with his wife and children. He also had sex with her in his office during a counseling session, at his mother's house, and at motels, she says in her complaint in Weber County Court.

Holbrook did all this despite his knowledge that her father had killed himself after she confronted him about his sexual abuse, and after Holbrook had diagnosed her with severe personality disorder, borderline personality disorder and major clinical depression, she says. He also told her she had multiple personalities, which he named Sam, Vick and Telitha, and claimed that he conversed with all of them during their sessions.

She says she began treatments with Holbrook at Weber Health Services, which fired him after patients complained he was "using religious references in his therapy." She continued seeing him at defendant LDS Family Services, where he sexually victimized her, she says.

She says Holbrook told her that "he had prayed in the van in his garage whether or not it was appropriate to have sex with" her, and "received an answer from God that they should have a sexual relationship."

He told her that one of her "personalities," Telitha, "would tell him that plaintiff 'deserves to die.'"

"Holbrook also told plaintiff that her family did not deserve her because they mistreated her"; he would "cast the demons out" during therapy; and told her family: "'Don't drink the foods in the fridge because Telitha may be telling [the plaintiff] to poison them,'" according to the complaint.

Holbrook told her "he would leave his wife and move into an apartment" with her and "went apartment searching" with her, but then met her, with his wife, in a parking lot and "told her that he was not going to leave his wife and move in with her as promised," the complaint states.

She says she attempted suicide while Holbrook was treating her.

After being placed on leave "because of the sexual allegations against him," Holbrook wrote to his boss that he should not try to "dig for information. She may feel compelled to make up more information," the complaint states.

Since Holbrook treated her, she "has become civilly committed because of her inability to engage in rational decision making concerning mental health treatment,' the complaint states. "She is now a ward of the state."

The Department of Professional Licensing brought charges against Holbrook and he "surrendered his license to work." He admitted in a deposition "that he broke 'every canon of ethics' in regards to intimacy with a client, and that he broke the profession[al] rules 'all the way around," the complaint states.

She seeks punitive damages for negligence, medical negligence and gross negligence. The only defendant is LDS Family Services. She is represented by Darren Davis with Adams Davis.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit