The Mormon Church has been accused of using a sexual assault victims hotline to protect the church from lawsuits, VICE News reported Thursday night.

The way the church's hotline works was revealed in a lawsuit and other documents obtained by the outlet.

VICE said the documents show that local Mormon leaders were forwarded to the church's law firm instead of being instructed to report allegations to the police.

In a lengthy statement to INSIDER, Mormon Church spokesman Eric Hawkins accused VICE News of "misreporting" the story.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been accused of using its sexual abuse hotline to cover up accusations and protect the church from lawsuits, according to a new VICE News report.

Since 1995, the Mormon Church, as its more commonly called, has operated a 24-hour hotline for bishops or other leaders to call if they hear reports of abuse. Bishops are leaders for congregations of Mormons, but are not full-time clergy.

According to VICE, church officials insist that the hotline is used to advise bishops about local abuse reporting laws.

But through a recent lawsuit and other documents obtained by the outlet, VICE reported that the hotline is really used to snuff out complaints and protect the church from potentially costly lawsuits.

Last year, the church settled a lawsuit raised by six families connected to a Mormon congregation in West Virginia. According to VICE, at least three of the families said their children were molested by Michael Jensen, the son of a prominent local Mormon family, and that the church knew he was a predator but didn't report him to the police.

The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum while the case was in the middle of trial, so lawyers at the church's outside law firm explained how the sexual assault hotline operates in now-sealed depositions.

Timothy Kosnoff, a lawyer who represented the victimized families, recalled to VICE what was said in these depositions, and VICE News also obtained other documents that shed light on other details about the system that they report is rigged against victims.

Russell M. Nelson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is seen attending the church's annual conference last month. George Frey/Getty

Kosnoff told VICE that a lawyer named Joseph Osmond, who works for the Mormon Church's law firm, Kirton McConkie, said during a pretrial deposition that the firm uses the information from helpline calls to identify cases that might pose a financial risk to the church if they resulted in lawsuits.

When someone calls the helpline, a staffer at the offices for LDS Family Services, an agency of the Mormon Church, picks up the call, according to VICE.

But Osmond said bishops are never told to report sexual abuse allegations to the police, though they are legally required to in many states. And staffers are instructed to transfer all calls to Kirton McConkie, Kosnoff recalled.

"It's a helpline for the lawyers, not for the children or anybody else," Kosnoff told VICE. "It gives them an opportunity to get involved, to quickly send lawyers out there. Talk to victims. Silence them if they can."

Read more: These Magnificent Temples Point To How Rich The Mormon Church Is

VICE also obtained a Kirton McConkie document from 2012 that reportedly lists several sexual abuse cases involving the church at the time.

One of those cases involved an 18-year-old "elder" on a mission in Arizona, who admitted that before he left his home in Texas, he exchanged sexually explicit photos with a 15-year-old girl, according to the document VICE obtained. The elder also said that since arriving in Arizona, he kissed and touched another 15-year-old girl.

It's reportedly noted in the document by Kirton McConkie lawyers that church officials would be required to report his alleged actions in Texas, which are against the law. A Mormon Church spokesman and a lawyer at Kirton McConkie were provided a copy of the document, but did not respond to questions about it, including whether that man was reported to the authorities, according to VICE.

Neither the Mormon Church nor Kirton McConkie agreed to be interviewed for the VICE News story. McConkie did issue a statement through their outside PR firm saying that they adhere "to standards that are consistent with the practices of law firms" and always advice "compliance with relevant laws."

INSIDER reached out to Kirton McConkie for a statement Friday afternoon but did not immediately receive a response.

In a lengthy statement to INSIDER, Mormon Church spokesman Eric Hawkins accused VICE News of "misreporting" the story.

"Abuse is a matter taken very seriously by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not tolerated, and the Church has invested heavily in resources and training, including the help line, to prevent, combat and address abuse," the statement reads in part.

You can read the church's full statement below: