Jonathan Kendrick — Jehovah's Witnesses, Fremont, California (civil verdict)
A 2012 California civil jury awarded $28 million over abuse committed during door-to-door ministry, after testimony that Kendrick had molested before and the organization's secrecy policy kept him in access. A civil verdict, settled during appeal — not a criminal conviction.
Jehovah's Witnesses Civil verdict — settled on appeal
- Person
- Jonathan Kendrick
- Role
- Member
- Institution
- Jehovah's Witnesses congregation, Fremont, California (Watchtower)
- Location
- Fremont, California
- Status
- CIVIL verdict (2012) — not a criminal conviction
- Civil
- $28 million jury award (incl. $21M punitive); settled for an undisclosed amount during appeal
Case in brief
Tier 2 · Attributed allegations — civil record labeled as civil
This is a civil case. A jury's civil verdict applies a civil standard of proof; it is not a criminal conviction, and this file does not describe Kendrick as convicted of a crime. The $28 million figure is as reported (a law-firm summary is among the sources) and is labeled accordingly.
A California jury in 2012 awarded $28 million — including $21 million in punitive damages — to a woman abused at ages 9 to 10 during door-to-door ministry by Jonathan Kendrick, a member of a Fremont, California Jehovah’s Witness congregation. Testimony in the case was that Kendrick had previously molested a 13-year-old, and that the organization’s secrecy policy allowed him continued access. Watchtower appealed the negligence verdict, and the case settled for an undisclosed amount during the appeal.
The institution
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and the Fremont congregation. The civil theory — prior knowledge plus a confidentiality policy — is the same institutional pattern documented in the San Diego litigation (see Gonzalo Campos).
The record
Tier 1 · Court-proven — civil record
| Item | Record |
|---|---|
| Civil verdict (2012) | $28 million, including $21 million punitive |
| Basis (per trial testimony) | Prior molestation known; secrecy policy allowed continued access |
| Appeal | Watchtower appealed the negligence verdict |
| Outcome | Settled for an undisclosed amount during the appeal |
Status
Civil case closed by settlement during appeal. No criminal conviction is recorded in this file’s sources.
Records requested & responses
This archive has not filed records requests in this case. The file rests on the published sources below and will be updated if court or institutional records are obtained, or if that changes.
Sources
- Sokolove Law case summary ($28M verdict composition; law-firm summary — amounts as reported): sokolovelaw.com
- Wikipedia, “Jehovah’s Witnesses’ handling of child sex abuse” (appeal; settled for undisclosed amount during appeal): en.wikipedia.org
Filed October 18, 2026, from the published sources below. Minor victims are never named or identified in this file.