- Diocese of Brooklyn Sued by Insurer Over Sex Abuse Claims April 16, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Catholic Church’s past history of covering up childhood sexual abuse claims has led to another lawsuit being filed, this time by one of its insurers. Arrowood Indemnity Company, an insurance company that covers the Diocese of Brooklyn, has filed a lawsuit asking the court to rule that it not… click to read more
- Defrocked Charlotte Priest Faces New Sexual Abuse Claim April 16, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Defrocked Charlotte Diocese priest Robert Yurgel is facing a new claim that he allegedly sexually abused a boy as young as five years old inside St. Matthews Church in Ballantyne. Yurgel has already served 8 years in prison for sexually abusing an altar boy back in 1999. The lawsuit has… click to read more
- Pennsylvania Legislators Take Two-Track Approach to Open Revival Window for Child Sex Abuse Survivors April 15, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse After a serious ‘blunder’ by Pennsylvania’s Department of State earlier this month, Pennsylvania legislators look to pass a new bill that would allow child sex abuse victims a two-year ‘window’ to file civil claims in court against both public and private entities. click to read more
- Catholic Church Spends $10M to Fight Statute of Limitations Reforms April 14, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse According to a recently released report, nationwide the Catholic Church has spent more than $10 million on lobbyists over the last seven years, fighting to keep state statute of limitations reforms from going into effect. The report was commissioned by law firms who represent survivors of clergy sex abuse. click to read more
- Former Student Files Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against Portsmouth Abbey School and Former Teacher April 9, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse In late 2020, a former student at the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming her former school teacher sexually abused her when she was a student and the school “failed to take any measures to investigate and put an end to the misconduct… click to read more
- Archdiocese of Chicago Agrees to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle Sex Abuse Claim April 9, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Archdiocese of Chicago agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who claimed he was sexually abused as a child by defrocked priest Daniel McCormack back in the early 2000s. This Catholic Church settlement pushes the total to over $11 million paid to survivors… click to read more
- Colorado Dioceses Pay Out $7.3 Million to Abuse Victims April 8, 2021 Default Category The three Roman Catholic Dioceses in Colorado paid out a total $7.3 million in sexual abuse settlements to over 70 people who were sexually abused as children by clergy. The payments came as part of the Colorado priest abuse reparations program. The Catholic Church settlements cover claims that went back… click to read more
- Pennsylvania Department of State Drops Ball on Constitutional Amendment April 2, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse At the beginning of 2021, the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly passed legislation focused on creating a revival window for child sexual abuse survivors. After passing the General Assembly in February, the bill should have been included on the May 2021 ballot so, if passed, the state’s constitution could be… click to read more
- Hundreds of Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Filed in 2020 Against Catholic Church in New Jersey April 1, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse More than 230 sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against the five Catholic dioceses in New Jersey from December 2019 to December 2020. The large number of lawsuits directly coincides with the state’s extension of its statute of limitations laws in civil actions for sexual abuse claims as well as its… click to read more
- Diocese of Santa Fe Nearing Bankruptcy Reorganization Settlement March 31, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse In 2018, Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester announced that the Archdiocese would seek bankruptcy protection amidst the growing number of sexual abuse lawsuits. Nearly 3 years later, the committee set up to represent the survivors, along with the Archdiocese, have reached a confidential settlement. click to read more
- Archdiocese of Chicago Investigating Separate Incidents of Sexual Abuse March 29, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse The Archdiocese of Chicago suspended two priests from ministry within six weeks of each other due to independent allegations of child sexual abuse. Separate letters from Cardinal Blase Cupich stated that Rev. Daniel McCarthy and Rev. David Ryan were both asked to step away from ministry after the Archdiocese received… click to read more
- Buffalo Diocese Sued By New York Attorney General Following Two-Year Investigation March 24, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse After a two-year investigation, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the Diocese of Buffalo, alleging it covered up allegations of child sexual abuse and misused charitable assets by supporting predatory priests instead of following protocol and reporting them to authorities. Former Bishop Richard Malone and former Auxiliary Bishop Edward… click to read more
- West Virginia Supreme Court Rules Religious Institutions Exempt from Consumer Protection Law March 22, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse In an opinion issued in late 2020, the West Virginia Supreme Court rejected Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s claim that the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston violated the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act (CCPA) when it hired “admitted and credibly-accused sexual abusers” to work in schools and camps without warning prospective consumers.”… click to read more
- Catholic Church Parishioners Seek Financial Transparency from Dioceses March 19, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse A survey done by Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) concludes that only five U.S. dioceses are financially transparent. According to its website, VOTF is “a lay organization of faithful Catholics. . .whose mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the faithful can actively participate… click to read more
- Texas Priest Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse March 16, 2021 Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Texas priest Father Manuel La Rosa-Lopez was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to two charges of second-degree felony indecency with a child. The charges stem from when La Rosa-Lopez served at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe Texas in the 1990s and early 2000s. click to read more
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