Jessop publicly thanked Lindberg for clarifying a misunderstanding he said had been troubling the community for a long time. The judge, in turn, repeatedly invited Jessop and other FLDS members to take part in the property distribution process, including sitting on a board that works with Wisan or attending any court hearings.

"I want them to be there," she said. "I want them to participate and get their fair share."

Lindberg said she would do what she could to repair any breakdown in communications.

"If you want, I will come and meet with anybody you want me to meet," she said.

A key problem in this long-standing legal morass is the fact that there has been little or no participation from the FLDS community, she said. Among other things, there currently are seven separate lawsuits pending.

As a result, the legal fees are mounting and that is depleting assets that should go to the people who built the homes, farmed the land and created the businesses.

"It is distressing that these monies are going to experts and lawyers rather than the beneficiaries," Lindberg said.

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E-mail: lindat@desnews.com