2025 Lawsuit Alleges Issaquah LDS Church Leaders Trafficked Child to Spain for Sexual Abuse by Known Predator

A federal lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in 2025, alleges that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and high-ranking church leaders knowingly facilitated the international sex trafficking of a minor.

The complaint alleges that church funds were used to fly a known convicted sex offender and a young child to a mission home in Madrid, Spain, where the child was allegedly groomed and sexually abused.

The Complaint, filed by Brandon and Heidi Bussey on behalf of a minor child, H.B., names the Church, Mission Presidents Philip and Cathy Bussey, Bishop Thayne Lyman, and the perpetrator, Paydan Bussey, as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, alleging the defendants recruited, harbored, and transported the child for the purpose of sexual exploitation to protect the Church’s reputation and financial interests.

According to court documents, the allegations center on a 2019 trip to Madrid, Spain. At the time, defendants Philip and Cathy Bussey were serving as Mission Presidents—a high-ranking leadership role— allegedly residing in a home owned by the LDS Church.

The complaint states that in December 2019, Philip and Cathy invited the minor victim, H.B., and the perpetrator, Paydan Bussey, to spend Christmas at the mission home. The lawsuit alleges that “All the tickets were purchased and paid for by the L.D.S. CHURCH,” despite the defendants knowing that Paydan Bussey was a registered sex offender with a 2012 conviction for abusing a minor.

While in the Church-owned mission home, the complaint alleges Paydan Bussey began grooming H.B. and “fondling him over his clothes.”

Ordained While on the Registry

The plaintiffs argue that the Church’s negligence extends back to 2015. The complaint details how Paydan Bussey, while still a registered sex offender in both Washington and Utah, met with Bishop Thayne Lyman to become ordained into the priesthood.

Despite his active status on the sex offender registry, Lyman allegedly proceeded to ordain Bussey. The suit claims this action granted the predator “authority, leadership, and unfettered access to children,” validation that allegedly allowed him to victimize H.B. for nearly a decade.

Institutional Cover-Up and The “Helpline”

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants engaged in a “venture” to conceal Paydan Bussey’s predatory history to ensure Philip Bussey’s elevation to Mission President and later Stake Patriarch. The complaint alleges that the Church prioritizes its wealth and reputation over the safety of children, citing the use of the Church’s “Helpline.”

An Alleged Pattern of Abuse

The abuse alleged in the complaint is extensive and harrowing. It alleges incidents where Paydan Bussey used blankets and sheets—allegedly paid for by Philip and Cathy Bussey via Church funds—to build “forts” where he would allegedly isolate and abuse H.B.

The abuse allegedly escalated from fondling to forced oral copulation and continued through May 2023, when H.B. was eight years old. Paydan Bussey is facing criminal charges in Utah, including three counts of sodomy on a child and one count of kidnapping.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for physical and emotional suffering, as well as punitive damages, arguing that the Church’s actions were malicious and willful. They contend that the institution “sacrificed a child” to maintain the appearance of a perfect leadership family.

A copy of the complaint is available here.