Jason Williams




Jason Williams
Jason Williams believed that his wife Suzanne was brainwashed by FLDS leadership to divorce him and become the second plural wife of another church member. He claimed his former wife was counseled by Rulon and Warren Jeffs to leave their Colorado City, Ariz., home and divorce him. Suzanne was "placed in marriage" with this other man while she was STILL LEGALLY MARRIED to Jason. Jason Williams filed alienation of affection lawsuits against the FLDS church, but a Utah court dismissed his lawsuit three times. Read the tragic story of Jason's fight against having his beloved wife and children taken away from him. There used to be many more articles about Jason's tragic story, but the Salt Lake Tribune made us remove them, or else the newspaper would sue us. Jason has written a WONDERFUL book about this ordeal called "Zero Chance: Power of Love...Love of Power". You can order a signed copy from The HOPE Organization here.


Ex-member of a church sues leaders
The Associated Press Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, May 5, 1999
ST. GEORGE -- A man who claims a polygamous church persuaded his wife and children to leave him has sued it and its leaders for $10 million. Jason Miles Williams claims he was forced out of his Colorado City, Ariz., home last December. He contends Rulon Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Jeffs' son Warren coerced his wife, Suzanne, to leave his family because "she had no chance of salvation if she were to remain married" to Williams. The Jeffs then told Williams "he had no right to have a family and the only way to get back into the church was to sign over full custody of (his two) minor children to their mother and become re-baptized," he claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in St. George's 5th District Court. Williams seeks damages for alienation of affection and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His wife has filed for divorce in Mohave County, Ariz., citing irreconcilable differences. "Jason does not want divorce," Williams attorney Christopher W. Edwards said Tuesday. "He loves her and loves the children very, very much, and would like to keep the family together. So he's obviously contesting it." Read more


Judge upholds suit vs. polygamist church
Arizona man says leaders coerced wife into leaving
The Associated Press Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, Aug. 24, 1999
ST. GEORGE -- A judge has denied motions to dismiss the lawsuit of a man who claims a polygamous church persuaded his wife and children to leave him. Jason Miles Williams, 24, claims he was forced out of his Colorado City, Ariz., home last December. He contends Rulon Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Jeffs' son, Warren, coerced his wife, Suzanne, to leave his family because "she had no chance of salvation if she were to remain married" to Jason Williams. Fifth District Judge James L. Shumate will allow Jason Williams' complaint to go forward, the Spectrum reported in a copyright story Thursday. Jason Williams seeks $10 million in damages for alienation of affection and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His wife has filed for divorce in Mohave County, Ariz., citing irreconcilable differences. The lawsuit names others besides Rulon and Warren Jeffs, including Lester Johnson, the man Suzanne Williams reportedly married. Shumate last week dismissed the complaint against Suzanne Williams' father, Frank Jessop. Read more


Read the November 10, 2000 Deposition of Warren Steed Jeffs in Jason Williams' lawsuit.


IN THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS
FILED July 5, 2002
Jason Miles Williams and John Does 1-5, Plaintiffs and Appellants, v. Rulon Jeffs, et al., Defendants and Appellees. OPINION Case No. 20010078-CA Read more


Jilted husband's lawsuit fails
ReligiousTolerance.org Originally published February 18, 2003
Jason Miles Williams sued the estate of Rulon Jeffs, the recently deceased leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). Williams alleged that his former wife was counseled by Jeffs and other elders of the church to divorce him and to become the second wife of another church member. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball agreed with the Utah Court of Appeals which had "found that Williams' emotional distress cause of action, claiming that he suffered the loss of his wife's love and affection as well as future of his family, did not rise to the level of outrageousness necessary for the claim to be actionable." The FLDS is a small, Fundamentalist denomination that split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The LDS suspended plural marriages in 1890, but the FLDS has stuck with the teachings of the founder Joseph Smith; they still encourage polygyny.


Judge dismisses lawsuit blaming polygamist church for loss of wife
Kingman Daily Miner Originally published February 18, 2003
Salt Lake City (AP) - A man who blames the leaders of a polygamist church for his wife's decision to divorce him and become the second plural wife of another man has failed in another attempt to pursue his alienation of affection claim. A federal court has dismissed Jason Miles Williams' lawsuit against the estate of Rulon Jeffs, the late leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball said in a decision released late Friday that Williams' arguments fell short because they were identical to those offered and rejected by 5th District Judge James L. Shumate and the Utah Court of Appeals in recent years. In the alienation of affection lawsuit filed last October, Williams claimed his former wife was counseled by Jeffs and other elders of the church to leave their Colorado City, Ariz., home and divorce him. Williams is a former member of the church, most of whose members live in the border cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. Jeffs died on Sept. 8, 2002 at 92. The $20 million lawsuit also had asked that church leaders "cease and desist from unlawfully influencing (his) children's beliefs." Read more


National Brief: Suit dismissed
The Associated Press The St. Augustine Record - St. Augustine, Florida Originally published February 21, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A man has lost his courtroom attack on leaders of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for his wife's decision to divorce him and become the plural wife of another man. A federal court dismissed Jason Miles Williams' claim against the estate of the late Rulon Jeffs, leader of the church. Jeffs' denomination is separate from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is anti-polygamy. Williams, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church, sued for $20 million, claiming his former wife was counseled by Jeffs and other church elders to leave their Colorado City, Ariz., home and divorce him. He also wanted church leaders to stop "unlawfully influencing" his children's beliefs. But U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball said Williams' arguments were identical to those rejected by another federal judge. A state appeals court also rejected his claim.


Alienated spouses can sue
By Doug Smeath Deseret Morning News Originally published Sep 26, 2004
Divorce often comes hand-in-hand with messy civil court wranglings -- over property or child custody, for example. But less frequently, spurned lovers in Utah go to court not against the ex-spouse but against the people they see as responsible for driving a wedge in their once-happy unions. For instance: -- When Jason Miles Williams, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, lost his wife to divorce, he sued the church's leaders, claiming they caused his marriage's breakup by telling his ex-wife she could not achieve salvation so long as she remained married to him. His $10 million lawsuit was dismissed in 2000. -- Janice Peck sued the Utah Division of Wildlife and one of its female agents when her husband, a division agent, left her for the female agent. The two agents had posed as a married couple on a division assignment to catch moose and elk poachers. -- And Utah radio personalities Erin Frasier and Todd L. Collard, of former station KISN-97's "Fisher, Todd and Erin Show," were sued by Collard's ex-wife, Suzanne Collard. She claimed Frasier stole Collard away by enlarging her breasts and changing her hair to look more like Suzanne Collard. (The two radio personalities were later married.) The case was settled in 1996. Such cases rely on a civil tort known as "alienation of affections," and Utah is one of only seven states that still allow this kind of suit. Read more


Zero Chance:
Power of Love...Love of Power
By Jason Williams (Author), JM and Anthus Williams (Contributor)
Book Description
When religion and family turn on you, what is left? This is the amazing story of a young man willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain a relationship with his children. After growing up in a polygamist family and life-style, Jason Williams is given zero chance for salvation from the leaders of the FLDS. His wife and children are kidnapped from him and he is instructed to have nothing to do with them. Instead of giving in, read the true story of how Jason took on the FLDS leaders and saved his children. Ordering Information


Book signing to be held this Saturday
Local News In Brief The Spectrum Originally published May 29, 2009
Hurricane - Jason Williams will have a book signing for his book, "Zero Chance" from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday at the Main Street Cafe, 138 S Main St. The book talks about Williams growing up in a polygamist lifestyle in Hildale and his attempts to maintain connections with his wife and children after being instructed by his church leaders to have nothing to do with them.


Warren Jeffs' Victim and Ex-FLDS Citizen Finally Speaks Out
Press Release WebWire - Atlanta, Georgia Originally published Wednesday, July 08, 2009
United States – Wednesday, July 8th 2009: A book documenting one man's experiences in the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints community has been published, just two years after religious leader and polygamist Warren Jeffs' imprisonment for being an accomplice to rape. The book includes Mr. Williams' battle against the FLDS community for the right to maintain a relationship with his family, who were kidnapped from him in 1999 for five weeks. Jason Williams gives a detailed account of his life in the Mormon fundamentalist community. Jason married the woman of his choice (and was told by the prophet that he was stealing from the 'Priesthood') the couple were ostracized for one year, before being let back into the community again and re-baptized. In 1999 FLDS leader Warren Jeffs told Jason's wife that she and her two young children had "zero chance of salvation whilst married to him [Jason]" and kidnapped his family. Shortly after her return, she was "placed" into a religious marriage as a second wife, while she was still legally married to Jason. He then filed a ten million dollar suit against Warren Jeffs and his father Rulon for 'alienation of affection'. He sued for custody of his children and wrote his aptly named book, 'Zero Chance', available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Authorhouse and other online retailers. Read more


Local author of 'Zero Chance' tells his true story Friday
Local News In Brief The Spectrum Originally published July 14, 2009
ST. GEORGE - The Book Cellar, St. George's independent bookstore, will host local author, father and fighter Jason Williams discussing his new memoir, "Zero Chance, Power of Love - Love of Power," Friday at 6 p.m. In Williams' new book he discusses his life in the FLDS religion, his family, the UEP and, when his church turned against him, his fight for his two sons. When religion and family turn on you, what is left? This is the story of a young man willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain a relationship with his children. After growing up in a polygamist family and lifestyle, Williams is given zero chance for salvation from the leaders of the FLDS. His wife and children are kidnapped from him and he is instructed to have nothing to do with them. Instead of giving in, read the true story of how he took on the FLDS leaders and saved his children. He will be at The Book Cellar to discuss his book, his story of survival and lead an open discussion. For information or reservations, call The Book Cellar at 652-0227. The Book Cellar is at 37 E. St. George Blvd. Refreshments will be offered.


One man's fight for justice
BY TIFFANY DE MASTERS The Spectrum Originally published July 18, 2009
ST. GEORGE - People gathered at the Book Cellar Friday evening to listen to Jason Williams and his story about leaving the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints and his fight to keep his children. "To me I feel like I've lived a blessed life, but have had crazy experiences that have made me the person I am today," Williams said. Born and raised in polygamy Williams said he had a happy childhood. When he got married he loved his wife and had two sons. In 1998 his life was turned upside down when he said his wife left him because the prophet, Warren Jeffs, told her to (leave) if she wanted to have salvation. About a year ago Williams was en-couraged to write down his experiences. A year later he has self-published his experiences in the FLDS church. The book, "Zero Chance, Power of Love - Love of Power," talks about how his family was taken away from him and how he got his sons back. "We (Williams and his wife) were so much in love - we were kiss, kiss and hug, hug then two days later she wouldn't even talk to me one-on-one," he said. Williams said Jeffs told him he could have salvation if he signed over the custody of his children and was rebaptized. He wouldn't do it. Williams decision to fight for the custody of his two children turned into a two-year custody battle in court which he won. He also filed a $10 million lawsuit against the FLDS church for alienation of affection. Read more



Order a signed copy of Jason William's book from The HOPE Organization.

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