Polygamous Sect Feels Strain of Legal Battles

A polygamist sect in Texas won the return of most of the 400 children removed from its ranch last year. But the group's legal troubles are far from over.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS, is feeling the strain of multiple legal battles.

This week, 10 men from Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado are to appear in court for a key pretrial hearing. The men, who face criminal charges including bigamy and felony sexual abuse of girls allegedly pressured into marriage, are asking that evidence seized when their children were removed be thrown out.

During the raid, law enforcement officials, looking for evidence of bigamy and underage marriage, scooped up family photos, diaries, church records and computer files. In addition, authorities conducted DNA tests to determine family relationships.

But the WSJ points out that this isn't the only case straining the sect's legal coffers. The sect faces legal fights in Utah, where the group is trying to regain control of a $110 million trust, and Canada.

Rod Parker, a church spokesman, tells that WSJ that with legal bills mounting, "there's a huge hemorrhaging of money."

Previous Coverage:

ABA Journal: "Discovering Eldorado: In a massive clash between church and state, a band of Texas lawyers learns that individual stories still count"