Judge limits privilege defense in AZ Mormon sex abuse case


              AP Illustration by Peter Hamlin based on legal documents.
            
              FILE - Brian McIntyre, Cochise County Attorney, speaks during an interview in his office in Bisbee, Ariz., on Oct. 29, 2021. An Arizona judge has ruled that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may not use the state's “clergy-penitent privilege” to refuse to answer questions or turn over documents in a child sex-abuse case.  (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)
            
              FILE - Tree branches and utility cables are silhouetted as the sun rises over the town of Bisbee, Ariz., Oct. 26, 2021. An Arizona judge has ruled that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may not use the state's “clergy-penitent privilege” to refuse to answer questions or turn over documents in a child sex-abuse case.  (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)
            
              FILE - Adoptive mother Nancy Salminen puts her arm around MJ at their home in Arizona, on Oct. 27, 2021. An Arizona judge has ruled that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may not use the state's “clergy-penitent privilege” to refuse to answer questions or turn over documents in a child sex-abuse case.  (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)
            
              FILE - A street sign leads to what was once the home of Paul Adams and his family on the outskirts of Bisbee, Ariz., on Oct 26, 2021. An Arizona judge has ruled that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may not use the state's “clergy-penitent privilege” to refuse to answer questions or turn over documents in a child sex-abuse case.  (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)