This is your daily news rundown for Friday, April 18. In this edition:
- A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the LDS church alleging it misused donations
- Deserae Turner, who was shot as a teen, has passed away one week after deciding to enter hospice care
- The University of Utah has secured its fifth-straight spot in the NCAA women's gymnastics Final Four
Judge dismisses lawsuit against LDS church over alleged misuse of donations
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for allegedly misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations.
The lawsuit, brought by a group of donors to the church, alleged business and investment entities under the church invested tithing funds instead of using them for charitable purposes.
In a ruling on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby said plaintiffs failed to adequately show how any fraud had occurred, and that the three-year statute of limitations on fraud claims in Utah had passed before the lawsuit was filed in October 2023.
A similar lawsuit was filed in 2021 by James Huntsman, who wanted to get back the $5 million he donated before leaving the church. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the church in January.
Deserae Turner, shot as a teen, dies one week after deciding to enter hospice care
Deserae Turner, who survived being shot in the head by a classmate as a teen, has died at 22.
In an interview last week, Turner discussed ongoing health problems she has faced over the last eight years, including being diagnosed with stomach cancer last year. Then, after doctors recently discovered a lung infection, Turner decided to go to hospice care.
Turner’s family announced on Friday that she had died Thursday night, sharing their heartbreak and appreciation for the support from community they had received.
A GoFundMe to help her family with medical costs had raised over $54,000 dollars as of Friday afternoon.
U of U secures fifth-straight spot in the NCAA women’s gymnastics finals
The University of Utah has secured a spot in the Final Four at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships for the fifth straight year.
In the semifinals, Utah had the highest team score of all eight teams with each gymnast getting bar scores over 9.9 out of a possible 10.
U of U has the second-highest number of NCAA titles for women’s gymnastics ever at nine wins, though their last title was in 1995.
They will compete against UCLA, Oklahoma, and Missouri on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
