SALT LAKE CITY — A former child bride has reached a $2.75 million settlement agreement with the Fundamentalist LDS Church and the United Effort Plan Trust, a resolution that attorneys on both sides said was "long overdue," according to a joint statement issued Friday.

Dating back almost nine years, the multimillion-dollar personal injury lawsuit filed by Elissa Wall under the pseudonym "M.J." originally sought $40 million from the FLDS Church and its leader, Warren Jeffs, as well as the UEP Trust that controls homes, businesses and property in the FLDS strongholds of Hildale, Utah; Colorado City, Arizona; and Bountiful, British Columbia.

Wall was married at age 14 to her 19-year-old cousin in a ceremony that was presided over by Jeffs.

"Ms. Wall brought this case to hold responsible those in power who used their position to perpetrate abuse. She has experienced first-hand how the UEP Trust was used by Warren Jeffs to hurt families like hers and others. Ms. Wall has been willing to stand up, be brave, and fight for change within the FLDS communities," Wall's attorneys said in a statement Friday.

Jeff Barlow, executive director for the UEP Trust, expressed his satisfaction Friday at seeing the case resolved.

The settlement must be approved in court before it can be finalized. Those hearings have yet to be scheduled, Barlow said.

"There's still some work to be done," he added.

In recent years, Wall's attorneys have argued that Jeffs, as trustee over the UEP, forced Wall to enter into the arranged marriage in order to stay in her UEP-owned home. The trust's lawyers countered that, by suing the United Effort Plan, Wall was punishing innocent FLDS members who had contributed their assets.

Wall was also accused of colluding with her former husband, Allen Steed, in a conspiracy to use the lawsuit to extort money from the trust.

In 2011, Steed struck a plea deal and was convicted of solemnization of a prohibited marriage, and he entered a plea in abeyance to a second charge of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He was sentenced to three years of probation and 30 days in jail.

In 2005, the UEP was taken over by the state of Utah because of allegations of mismanagement by Jeffs and leaders of the FLDS Church. Wall's attorneys said she supports the board that now runs the trust as "a force for good" that is focused on housing the FLDS people.

"Ms. Wall is now looking forward to working with the new board of trustees and is committed to helping them build up the community she cares deeply about and the people she loves. The board of trustees and Ms. Wall want a community that is focused on families, friendships and growth — rather than divisive feelings, tall fences and secrecy," the statement reads.

Wall was the state's star witness in 2007 when Jeffs was found guilty of rape as an accomplice. The conviction was later overturned on a technicality by the Utah Supreme Court.

Jeffs remains in prison in Texas, serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting two underage polygamous brides.

Email: mromero@deseretnews.com

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