The Church Says John Dehlin Can Use ‘Mormon.’ So What Is This Lawsuit Really About?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking a federal judge to reject John Dehlin’s effort to dismiss a trademark and copyright lawsuit over the “Mormon Stories” podcast. In a court filing Thursday, the Church of Jesus Christ argued that the dispute centers on branding it says could confuse people about whether the podcast has an official Church connection, not on Dehlin’s criticism of the faith or his use of the word “Mormon.”

“This case is not about silencing criticism,” Church attorneys wrote in their response to the motion to dismiss. “The Church’s claims do not target the content of Defendants’ speech at all. Nor is it about ownership or control of the word Mormon.”

Church attorneys argue that Dehlin and the Open Stories Foundation used logos, colors, fonts, copyrighted photographs and other design elements that resembled Church branding closely enough to create confusion.

Church Says Confusion Is at the Center of the Case

The Church filed its original lawsuit against Dehlin and the Open Stories Foundation in April after earlier attempts to resolve the disagreement outside court. According to KUTV and the Deseret News, the Church first contacted the foundation about its branding in November 2025 and later participated in mediation before filing the lawsuit.

The Church’s latest filing argues that the central legal question is whether the “Mormon Stories” branding could cause people to mistakenly believe the podcast is connected with, sponsored by or produced by the Church. Church attorneys quoted a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that called this kind of confusion about who produced something the “cardinal sin” of trademark law.

The Church says its claims extend beyond the podcast’s name to the overall presentation of “Mormon Stories.” Its filing identifies logos, fonts, color schemes, copyrighted images and other branding among the elements at issue.

Church spokesperson Doug Andersen made the same distinction while addressing reporters August 20 at Church headquarters. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Andersen said, “The church has always acknowledged Mr. Dehlin’s First Amendment right to criticize the church, and this case is not about preventing people from using the word Mormon.”

“It concerns the use of church-protected names, images and design elements, which, in the collective, create confusion when it comes to knowing whether the content is affiliated with the church,” Andersen said.

Church Points to Changes in Branding

The Church’s filing argues that the disputed branding developed over time rather than beginning simply with Dehlin’s adoption of the “Mormon Stories” name in 2005. Church attorneys state that the Church began using a light-rays design around 2016 and that “Mormon Stories” adopted a blue light-rays logo in 2022.

The filing also says the Church adopted the Christus symbol as its official logo in April 2020 and that the symbol later appeared in “Mormon Stories” branding and advertising, including its header and a welcome-video thumbnail.

The filing points to a 2022 “Mormon Stories” episode as evidence that at least one listener initially believed the podcast had a Church connection. According to the court document, a guest told Dehlin that he started listening because he believed “Mormon Stories” was Church-affiliated, prompting Dehlin to respond, “That was not why I named it that,” and then, “Okay, maybe it was a little bit why I named it that.”

The Church presents that exchange as support for its claim that confusion has actually occurred. The court has not yet decided whether the Church has proven that Dehlin or the Open Stories Foundation violated trademark law.

Dehlin Changed Some Images and Branding

Dehlin has acknowledged that “Mormon Stories” previously used some Church photographs without permission and that parts of its branding resembled Church marks. The Deseret News reported that the Open Stories Foundation changed the podcast’s logo from blue to orange, modified its design and removed Church-copyrighted photographs after receiving the Church’s November letter.

Dehlin told the Deseret News that he believed the podcast’s use of the photographs qualified as fair use, a legal protection that allows copyrighted material to be used in some circumstances without permission. “Despite that, in response to their recent requests, we agreed to remove the images they identified from our website and podcast thumbnails,” he said.

Dehlin also told the Deseret News that “Mormon Stories” added the Church’s preferred disclaimer language to descriptions of the podcast on its platforms. According to the newspaper, Dehlin declined a Church request to place those disclaimers at the beginning of “Mormon Stories” videos and podcasts.

The Church argues that the existing disclaimers remain too difficult for users to find. Its filing says the disclaimer on the main “Mormon Stories” website appears at the bottom after what attorneys described as about four pages of scrolling, while YouTube and Spotify users must open additional information before seeing it.

A Longer History Between Dehlin and the Church

The current lawsuit comes after more than two decades of a sometimes contentious relationship between Dehlin and the Church, including his excommunication in 2015. A Deseret News report from that year documented both Dehlin’s criticism of Church leaders and teachings and disagreements over how he publicly characterized the reasons for his Church discipline.

Dehlin had launched “Mormon Stories” in 2005 and later used the podcast and the Open Stories Foundation to discuss faith crises, Church teachings and criticism of the institution. According to the Deseret News, North Logan Utah Stake President Bryan King spent eight months corresponding and meeting with Dehlin before convening the disciplinary council that resulted in his excommunication.

In his letter explaining the decision, President King cited Dehlin’s teachings disputing the nature of Heavenly Father and the divinity of Jesus Christ, his statements that the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham were fraudulent works of fiction, and his rejection of the Church’s claim to divine authority. President King specifically distinguished those teachings from personal doubts or questions, writing that the decision resulted from Dehlin’s “categorical statements opposing the doctrine of the church and their wide dissemination via your Internet presence.”

The dispute also included disagreement over what had motivated the disciplinary action. Before the council, Dehlin publicly contended that his advocacy for same-sex marriage and the ordination of women to the priesthood played a major role in the decision to discipline him, according to the Deseret News.

President King’s written explanation did not cite either position among the reasons for Dehlin’s excommunication. After Dehlin continued to identify those issues as factors, the Church issued a statement saying that although his positions were inconsistent with Church teachings, “they were not cited in the local leader’s letter delivered to Mr. Dehlin on February 9.”

The Church also emphasized at the time that disagreement or criticism alone did not explain the disciplinary action. President King acknowledged Dehlin’s right to “criticize the church and its doctrine and persuade others to his cause,” while drawing a distinction between exercising that right and remaining a Church member in good standing while publicly attempting to persuade others that Church teachings were wrong.

Dehlin nevertheless continued to identify strongly with the broader Mormon tradition after his excommunication. “I feel like Mormonism is my heritage,” he told KUER in comments reported by the Deseret News, adding, “It’s my culture, it’s my tribe, it’s my identity.”

That history does not establish either side’s motives in the current lawsuit, but it provides context for a relationship in which Dehlin and Church representatives have previously disagreed over how the Church’s actions should be characterized. The current case likewise includes competing descriptions of whether the dispute concerns protected expression or allegedly confusing use of Church branding.

Free Speech Arguments Remain a Major Dispute

Dehlin and the Open Stories Foundation have argued that the lawsuit raises First Amendment concerns and have focused heavily on their right to use the term “Mormon.” ABC4 reported that the defendants also contend the Church gave up certain trademark rights when it moved away from the term and that “Mormon” cannot belong exclusively to the Church because millions of people outside the faith use it.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed briefs in August supporting Dehlin’s effort to dismiss the lawsuit. According to ABC4, the organizations also pointed to use of the word “Mormon” by other religious groups and in entertainment unrelated to the Church.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has separately urged the judge to give greater weight to free-expression protections when evaluating the trademark claims. Cara Gagliano, a senior attorney with the organization, told The Salt Lake Tribune’s “Mormon Land” podcast that the court should use a legal test designed to provide added protection when trademarks appear in certain creative or expressive works.

The Church disputes that framing, arguing that the case concerns the overall “Mormon Stories” branding rather than an attempt to control the word “Mormon.” Its attorneys contend that the combination of the podcast’s name with disputed logos, photographs, colors, fonts and other design elements could lead consumers to believe the content has a Church connection.

Church Disputes Claim That It Waited Too Long

Dehlin’s motion to dismiss also argues that the Church waited too long to bring the lawsuit. That defense, known legally as laches, generally asks whether an unreasonable delay in filing a case unfairly harmed the defendant.

The Church responds that the dispute changed over time because both the reach of “Mormon Stories” and the branding at issue changed. According to the filing, the podcast began as a small operation but later grew substantially, and the Church argues that potentially confusing design elements became more prominent as that growth occurred.

The filing cites the “Mormon Stories” website as stating that its content received more than 45 million views in 2023. Church attorneys use the podcast’s growth, together with changes in its branding over time, to argue that the timing of the lawsuit cannot be judged solely from when Dehlin launched “Mormon Stories.”

The Church argues that deciding whether it waited too long requires the judge to examine evidence about how the podcast and its branding developed over the years. Its attorneys maintain that those factual questions should be addressed later in the case rather than used to dismiss the lawsuit now.

The Church also argues that even if the judge ultimately found that it delayed some of its claims, that would not necessarily prevent the court from ordering changes to allegedly infringing branding going forward. For that reason, attorneys say the delay argument does not justify ending the lawsuit at this stage.

Judge Will Decide Whether the Case Moves Forward

Dehlin did not immediately offer a detailed response after the Church filed its latest arguments Thursday. He told The Salt Lake Tribune, “Our legal team and I just received the response a few minutes ago and are digesting it. If we have any public statements, we will make them at an appropriate time on mormonstories.org.”

The Church has asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah to deny the motion to dismiss and allow its trademark and copyright claims to proceed. The judge must now decide whether the defendants have provided sufficient legal grounds to end the case at this stage or whether it will proceed.

Holly Wallace

Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.