September 16, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In a July ruling, a California judge has delayed a court case involving the sexual abuse of two undisclosed plaintiffs, John R.R. Doe and John R.F. Doe. The cases will not proceed as scheduled in October, but instead will be rescheduled for March 2021. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Sotelo cites the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason. Disruption in the court system isn’t isolated to California. Recently the Diocese of Albany was flooded with sexual abuse lawsuits after a nearly three-month delay in courts due to the Coronavirus. The California delay nevertheless pushes back potential justice for what started several years ago.
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Pontifical Secrecy Rule Lifted in Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases
October 26, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In December of 2019 the Vatican issued an instruction called On the Confidentiality of Legal Proceedings which essentially removed the pontifical secrecy rule related to clergy sexual abuse or misconduct cases. The directive by the Vatican should help ease communication between church officials and civil authorities around the globe regarding abuse cases.
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New York’s Rockville Centre Diocese Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
October 22, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Rockville Centre Diocese in New York, which covers the Long Island area, and is one of the largest dioceses in the country serving 1.4 million Catholics, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The petition was filed on October 1 at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The filing was done to help the diocese manage legal expenses and facilitate settlements with sexual abuse survivors.
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Lawyers Battle to Properly Value Dozens of Buffalo Diocese’s Properties
October 21, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy in February of this year in the wake of mounting clergy sexual abuse claims. The diocese opted for bankruptcy protection after seeing no other viable option to continue operating given the potential total future obligations the pending sexual abuse lawsuits could entail. The diocese continues to believe that bankruptcy doesn’t hurt abuse survivors, but only helps them by creating a compensation process that equally divides up funds among all abuse survivors, instead of favoring those who filed first.
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Defrocked Priest Ronald Paquin Sentence Upheld In Maine
October 15, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court upheld 10 of the 11 convictions against defrocked priest Ronald Paquin, who is currently serving out a 16-year sentence in Maine. Ronald Paquin was charged with abusing two boys during trips to Maine in the 1980s.
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How Long do I have to File a Clergy Abuse Lawsuit in Illinois?
October 14, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
How long you have to file a clergy abuse lawsuit in Illinois is a common question. For some Illinois clergy abuse survivors, it may take years, even decades, to recall the abuse since traumatic events suffered as a child are often suppressed. Even survivors who haven’t repressed those memories often still need many years to process the pain and receive treatment or counseling before they are ready to share their stories.
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Additional Clergy Abuse Cases Filed Against Archdiocese of Newark
October 7, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Archdiocese of Newark is facing nine new sex abuse lawsuits that were recently filed. In total, four priests and three clerics from two different religious orders were named. One of the clerics, from the Xaverian Brothers, was accused of for the first time.
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How Long do I have to File a Clergy Abuse Lawsuit in California?
October 2, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
How long you have to file a clergy abuse lawsuit in California is a common question. For some California clergy abuse survivors, it may take years, even decades to recall the abuse since traumatic events suffered as a child are often suppressed. Even those who haven’t repressed those memories often still need many years to process the pain and receive treatment or counseling before they are ready to share their stories.
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Lawsuit Alleges Former Cardinal McCarrick Involved in ‘Sex Ring’
September 30, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey Superior Court against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick for what’s being called a ‘sex ring’. The lawsuit is being brought by one of the survivors, who chose to remain anonymous, but is referenced as “Doe 14” in court documents. The complaint alleges Doe 14 was groomed to be part of a sex ring scheme that was headed up by then Bishop McCarrick. The complaint notes the scheme perpetuated over dozens of years and included multiple minors, some of which were seminarians, or those studying to become priests.
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Multiple Clergy Abuse Lawsuits Filed against the Diocese of Ogdensburg New York
September 24, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Diocese of Ogdensburg was named in 20 lawsuits claiming clergy sexual abuse. Of those 20 filings, 7 new clergy members have been publicly identified for the first time. According to the Diocese of Ogdensburg website, since August 2019, 71 clergy sexual abuse lawsuits have been filed against the Diocese.
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Over $800k Awarded to British Columbia Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivor
September 22, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge awarded clergy abuse survivor Rosemary Anderson $844,140 on August 25th, 2020 at the conclusion of her case. After the passing of her father in 1976, Rosemary Anderson sought out the Roman Catholic church for comfort. She was only 26. It was during that time she was sexually assaulted by priest Erlindo “Lindo” Molon. In her lawsuit against the Kamloops Roman Catholic Diocese, she claimed Erlindo Molon raped her 75 -100 times over many months.
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Delay in California Clergy Abuse Trial Due to Coronavirus
September 16, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In a July ruling, a California judge has delayed a court case involving the sexual abuse of two undisclosed plaintiffs, John R.R. Doe and John R.F. Doe. The cases will not proceed as scheduled in October, but instead will be rescheduled for March 2021. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Sotelo cites the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason. Disruption in the court system isn’t isolated to California. Recently the Diocese of Albany was flooded with sexual abuse lawsuits after a nearly three-month delay in courts due to the Coronavirus. The California delay nevertheless pushes back potential justice for what started several years ago.
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Catholic Diocese of Oakland Named In Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
September 2, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The attorney for ‘John Doe’, a sexual abuser survivor who wished to keep his identity concealed, file a complaint at the Alameda County Superior Court against the Diocese of Oakland, St. John’s Catholic Church in San Lorenzo, and Corpus Christi Church in Fremont, accusing them of negligence in protecting children from predator priests.
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Feeney Law Firm Client Files Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against Defrocked Cardinal McCarrick
August 28, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A former altar boy has filed a lawsuit against defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the Diocese of Metuchen. Geoffrey Downs, who is represented by Derek Braslow and the Feeney Law Firm, is accusing McCarrick of sexually abusing him as a teenager prior to mass.
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Diocese of Syracuse Files for Bankruptcy Amid Growing Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
August 21, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In June, the Diocese of Syracuse filed a petition for reorganization through Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In a June 19, 2020 letter, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia noted he had authorized the filing and the case would be before the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of New York.
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Diocese of Albany Hit with Multiple Clergy Abuse Lawsuits
August 13, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Diocese of Albany will soon have to review more than 50 new clergy sexual abuse allegations dating back 60 years. New York’s Child Victims Act, which was extended, has paved the way for survivors of childhood clergy abuse in New York to hold New York’s Catholic Dioceses accountable.
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