Two Utah men in their 40s allege they were sexually abused by a Mormon Church official when they went to Maui as teenagers to pick pineapples as part of their missionary training.
The men, Jacob Huggard, 41, and Kyle Spray, 42, filed a lawsuit in state court on Maui on Wednesday against the Utah company that recruited them, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Maui Land & Pineapple Co. and Brian R. Pickett, the man they claim sexually abused them from 1986 to 1989.
They filed their lawsuit under a Hawaii law that opened a temporary window on the statute of limitations for civil claims that involve sexual abuse of minors. The window closes in April.
Most of the other lawsuits filed under the law accuse Catholic clergy of sexually abusing minors.
The men say in their lawsuit that they picked pineapples on Maui under an agreement between the Mormon Church and Maui Land & Pineapple. They said they were among hundreds of boys who lived in two camps owned by ML&P and run by Mormon Church officials, including Pickett.
According to the lawsuit, Pickett was a Mormon Church leader and was employed by the recruiting company and ML&P. The lawsuit claims that he was camp coordinator of one camp then was later promoted to vice president of operations in charge of both camps.
The men said they received home schooling and religious training in the camps. They claim that Pickett abused them when he lived with them in the camps and then in his private residence after he was promoted.
Mormon Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said many details in the lawsuit are unclear but that "the church will examine the allegations and respond appropriately."
Hawkins said the church has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind and works actively to prevent it.
ML&P and Pickett, who lives in Idaho, did not respond to requests for comment.
