10th Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Multi-State Tithing Lawsuit Against LDS Church
A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a lower-court ruling that dismissed a class-action suit alleging misuse of tithing donations by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In a unanimous decision, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the plaintiffs’ class-action claims against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were time-barred, upholding a 2025 district-court dismissal. The case consolidated four lawsuits filed in Utah, California, Tennessee and Washington by nine individuals who alleged the church misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in tithing contributions. Judges Harris Hartz, Gregory Phillips and Nancy Moritz concluded that the three-year limitation period had expired and found no reversible error in the lower court’s judgment.
The district judge, Robert J. Shelby, had previously dismissed the suits with prejudice, preventing the plaintiffs from refiling. Church representative Sam Penrod defended the stewardship of tithing funds and praised the court’s ruling. The decision adds to a series of recent appellate victories for the church, including earlier dismissals by the Ninth Circuit and a prior 10th Circuit ruling involving similar claims.
Why it matters
The ruling clarifies the statute-of-limitations deadline for religious-organization financial lawsuits, limiting future challenges to church tithing practices.
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