# Shirlyn Watson v. David Watson — Housing and Property Rights for a Former Plural Wife

- Link: https://justprotect.org/shirlyn-watson-v-david-watson-housing-and-property-rights-for-a-former-plural-wife/
- Published: 2026-04-08T15:45:28-06:00
- Author: Jana Johnson

# Shirlyn Watson v. David Watson

Utah State Court · Active Litigation · Apostolic United Brethren (AUB)

Shirlyn Watson founded Shirlyn’s Natural Foods, a well-known Utah grocery chain 
with multiple locations in Salt Lake County. She married David Watson — who would
later become the prophet and leader of the AUB — in 1973 through a plural ceremony.
Together, they raised 11 children. For decades she worked as both an entrepreneur
and a contributor to the Watson family businesses, including five years as secretary
at her husband’s auto body repair shop.

## What the Case Involves

In 2016, Shirlyn and David relocated to Manti, Utah, along with three other sister
wives. Each wife was promised equal interest in a shared property. Shirlyn invested
$36,000 into the home. David Watson then:

 * Demanded wives pay $260 per month in rent for property they believed they co-
   owned
 * Locked Shirlyn out of the home after she traveled to California following the
   death of their son Robert, who had Down syndrome
 * Kept her name off a property agreement that would have entitled wives to a share
   of the home
 * Denied any legal solemnized marriage with Shirlyn and claimed 100% ownership 
   of the property

## In Her Own Words

“Too many women walk away with nothing,” she told ABC4. “He wouldn’t have what he
has without me. Somebody needs to take a stand. I’m prepared to take that stand.”

Her case exposes the legal vulnerability of plural wives, who often lack the protections
afforded to recognized spouses — and who can find themselves homeless and without
financial recourse after decades of contribution to a shared household and shared
businesses.

## JPA’s Role

JPA supports Shirlyn’s fight for basic property rights and housing security. This
case represents a critical area of JPA’s work: ensuring that women who dedicated
their lives and labor within these communities are not discarded with nothing when
those relationships end.

### Sources

 * [ABC4 News: ‘Too many women walk away with nothing’: Sister wife sues well-known polygamist prophet](https://www.abc4.com/news/digital-exclusives/sister-wife-sues-polygamist-prophet/)
 * [Daily Mail: Mormon grocery store founder sues her polygamist husband](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14039221/Mormon-grocery-store-founder-sues-polygamist-husband.html)
 * [Yahoo News: Mormon grocery store founder sues her polygamist husband](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mormon-grocery-store-founder-sues-160834595.html)

### Related Cases

 * [Grant, et al. v. Kingston](https://justprotect.org/grant-et-al-v-kingston/)

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## How to Help

These cases are expensive to litigate. Every dollar donated to JPA goes directly
toward supporting survivors in court. [Make a gift.](https://justprotect.org/donate/)

## In the news

 * **Nov 19, 2025** · The Independent (via Yahoo News) — [Mormon grocery store founder sues her polygamist husband because he paid too much attention to her sister wives](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mormon-grocery-store-founder-sues-160834595.html)
   
   Shirlyn Watson's lawsuit alleges her polygamist husband broke promises of an 
   equal property interest and neglected her; his side denies the allegations.
 * **Nov 18, 2025** · ABC4 Utah — ['Too many women walk away with nothing': Sister wife sues well-known polygamist prophet](https://www.abc4.com/news/digital-exclusives/sister-wife-sues-polygamist-prophet/)
   
   Shirlyn Watson sues her husband, polygamist leader David Watson, and his other
   wives, and alleges she is owed a quarter share of their Manti property.

[All news coverage →](https://justprotect.org/in-the-news/)

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