A Utah woman is suing her husband, a polygamist leader, for a quarter of their property, alleging he neglected her during their marriage. Shirlyn Watson has filed a lawsuit against David Watson and her sister wives, claiming she is entitled to a 25 percent stake in the family property.
Shirlyn married David in 1973 through the Apostolic United Brethren church, a Mormon fundamentalist group that practises polygamy. The couple had 11 children together. David, who led the church, had at least five wives, although he was legally married to only one. Shirlyn founded the grocery chain Shirlyn's Natural Foods in 1989 and also worked as a secretary for David's auto repair business for five years. By 2000, all of her earnings were going to David, the family home or their children, according to the lawsuit.
In 2016, Shirlyn, David and three sister wives moved to Manti, Utah, where they lived in separate houses on the same property. Shirlyn alleges they were promised equal interest in the property. “He promised that he was going to put us on a family trust and that we'd all be taken care of,” she said. However, she left David in 2019, saying he had started neglecting her. “If something came up with 'the favourite wife' he would go take care of her first,” she told local outlet ABC 4.
Shirlyn also claims that by February 2020, David was neglecting their late son Robert, who had Down syndrome, and at one point left her with their disabled son while spending time with two other wives. She allegedly invested $36,000 into the home. In 2021, David reportedly demanded that his wives pay $260 each month to live on the property, which Shirlyn refused, citing her ownership interest. She also says she was locked out of the home after travelling to California for Robert's celebration of life following his death in October 2023.
David's legal team has argued he has “100% ownership” of the property and denied many of the allegations, including that he promised anyone an interest. David told The Independent: “No comment. All lies.” Records reportedly list Shirlyn as a “resident”, while David and at least one other wife are listed as owners. “Somebody needs to take a stand,” Shirlyn said. “I'm prepared to take that stand. I'm willing to fight him.”
