THE TITHE IS TURNING

Billionaire’s Son James Huntsman Sues Mormon Church for Return of Donations

He claims the church misused tithes—and he wants to give the money to groups “marginalized” by its doctrines.

James Huntsman, the son of billionaire industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. and brother of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., is suing the Mormon church and demanding it return millions he tithed over the years. The federal suit accuses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of perpetrating a fraud against its members and using donations for commercial projects instead of missionary and other religious work, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. The church called the allegations “baseless” and said tithes were not used for one of the projects cited by Huntsman. If the lawsuit succeeds, Huntsman said, he will use the money to benefit those “marginalized by the church’s teachings and doctrines, including by donating to charities supporting LGBTQ, African American, and women’s rights.”