Appeals Court Upholds Judgment in KC Suit Against Mormon Church

A one million dollar judgment against a Mormon church in Kansas City has been upheld by an appeals court. The case has a strange twist. The lawsuit against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came 17 years after the incident – a lawnmower accident that nearly cut off the foot of a 5-year-old, Lamoni Riordan. Riordan’s father, Ken Riordan, was operating the lawnmower on that April day in 1985 on the front lawn of the church. Riordan was an employee of the church and the son sued the church, claiming it was liable for his father’s negligence. The court turned down the church’s argument that parental negligence is to blame. Lamoni says he only sued when the church reneged on an agreement to continue payment of his medical bills.