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Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits

Charlotte Dioceses Sued for Negligence; Claims Alleged Church Should have Known Priests were Predators

June 26, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Last November, North Carolina legislators opened a 2-year ‘revival window’ allowing survivors of sexual abuse, whose claims were previously time barred, the ability to file a claim against their abusers. The new window has allowed two men, who remain anonymous, the ability to refile their claims after their original cases were dismissed in 2014. At that time, the diocese successfully argued that the claims were past their statute of limitations.

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Priest Abuse Case Against Archdiocese of Los Angeles Settled for $1.9 million

June 24, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Catholic priest Lawrence Lovell, or ‘Father Larry”, was at the center of a priest sex abuse case filed against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Claretian Missionaries which resulted in a $1.9 million dollar settlement. The victim, Richard Barrios, said the sexual abuse occurred from 1982-1984 when he was an altar boy at San Gabriel Mission Church.

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Los Angeles Archdiocese Being Sued for Sexual Abuse by Adult Man

June 11, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

A new law passed in the state of California provides victims with a window to file claims of childhood sexual abuse that were previously time barred. One man is taking advantage of that law and in February of 2020, filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Archdiocese. The victim alleges that Father Michael Baker sexually abused him repeatedly from age 6 to 10 years old and that the Cardinal at the time, Roger Mahoney, covered it up. The plaintiff’s attorney, John Manly, stated that the Cardinal tried to hide what was going on with Father Baker by transferring him to other parishes rather than reporting the criminal behavior to the police.

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Brentwood California Police Department Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit for $1 Million

June 3, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits

In May 2019, a sexual assault lawsuit was filed against a former Brentwood police officer. The claim alleged that the victim was raped by her superior officer in September 2017 at a Reno hotel during a conference they were attending for police training. In November 2017 the woman filed an internal claim with the Brentwood police department. However, at the time, she did not pursue criminal charges citing a ‘fear it would be too much to handle emotionally’. When the Brentwood police chief and captain were made aware, they opened a “supervisory inquiry” instead of an internal affairs investigation.

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Archdiocese of Chicago Settles Clergy Sex Abuse Claim for $8 million

June 3, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

In an out of court settlement, the Archdiocese of Chicago agreed to pay $8 million to settle a claim alleging sexual abuse of minor. The settlement stemmed from allegations of sexual abuse in the 1990’s between Rev. John Calicott and an undisclosed victim. At the survivor’s request, his identity was not made public. The accused priest of the Holy Angels Church, Rev. John Calicott, denied the allegations and sought the name of his accuser. His request was denied.

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School Priest Suspended in Iowa for Sexual Abuse

May 19, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

An investigation is underway by the Diocese of Des Moines regarding allegations of sexual misconduct by Father Robert L Grant better known as “Father Bud” by a student at the St Alberts High School in Council Bluffs. The alleged abuse took place back in the early 1990’s. Due to Iowa law, criminal actions cannot be taken because of Iowa’s statute of limitation which requires a victim to report the abuse within 10 – 15 years after the individual turns 18 (depending on the circumstances.)

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Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawsuits – Delays Expected in Buffalo

May 18, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Victims of clergy sexual abuse with cases against the Diocese of Buffalo should expect delays in compensation awards. In a January ruling by Judge Deborah A. Chimes, Supreme Court of Erie Country, she noted the particular victim (plaintiff) should receive damages for abuse suffered. However there is a catch causing a delay in getting compensation from the Diocese of Buffalo. The Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy. This filing effectively paused all lawsuits and legal proceedings against the dioceses.

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New York’s Child Victims Act Extended Due To Coronavirus

May 12, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Senators from New York gathered on Friday to discuss extending the time for victims to file a claim for sexual abuse. The original deadline was set to expire on August 14, 2020 but now, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo, legislators have agreed to extend it to January 14, 2021; giving survivors of childhood sexual abuse an additional five months to file a claim. The senate felt that since court services have been significantly reduced due to the virus, it was only fair to extend the time for these victims.

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Attorney General’s Report Sparks Mixed Feelings in Those Who Were Sexually Abused as Children by Catholic Priests

May 12, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Colorado Attorney General’s investigation into child sex abuse within the Catholic Dioceses of Colorado led to a report listing 43 priests accused of sexually abusing children. One priest in particular, Monsignor Lawrence St. Peter, is suspected to have used his access, given his high ranking, to destroy his own personnel files which likely contained a pattern of sexual abuse against minors. According to the report which cited “strong circumstantial evidence” that those who came in contact with St. Peter during his time in Denver knew of his ‘alcohol problems’ and ‘homosexuality problems’ yet there were no records reflecting those issues in the Denver Archdiocese file.

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Truth and Reconciliation Commission Proposed to Archdiocese of Seattle

April 27, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

A group of “concerned Catholics, abuse survivors and current and former clergy” are calling for a lay-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the sexual abuse crisis in the church. Even though the group has acknowledged that the investigation may re-open the wounds of those who have been personally affected, the group’s goal is to rebuild the trust that has been lost throughout the decades of abuse.

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DC Councilman Decides Not to Run for Re-Election Due to Sexual Abuse

April 17, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced in March that his office filed and indictment against former Catholic priest, Scott Asalone, 63. Asalone is accused of sexually abusing D.C. council member David Grosso back in 1985 when Grosso only 14 years old. Due to the emotional scars that reopened because of the investigation and indictment, Grosso has chosen not to run for re-election.

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Priest Convicted of Rape Dies in Prison

April 16, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Reverend Richard McCormick, who was convicted in 2014 of raping two young boys, passed away at Bridgewater State Treatment Center. He was 79 years old. Due to privacy laws, the cause of death has not been released, but the Department of Corrections for Bridgewater State has confirmed that at least three deaths there have been linked to an outbreak of COVID-19.

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Bishops Cover Up in the Diocese of Scranton

April 13, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

A lawsuit has been brought against Bishop James Timlin and Bishop Joseph Bambera for their part in covering up years of alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Scranton. After years of thinking it was “too late” to do anything about their abuse, four men have come forward and accused Father Michael Pulicare, the former assistant pastor of St Joseph’s Parish, of sexual abuse. Pulicare died in 1999 and the church was renamed Divine Mercy of St Joseph, which is located on Davis St in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Each man filed their own separate lawsuit.

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Columbus Diocese adds 8 names to priest sex-abuse list

April 10, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

In September of 2019 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus Ohio added the names of eight priests who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors to their published list. The majority of the eight names added to the list are in the category of “extern” which covers clergy members who served in Columbus but were accused of abuse elsewhere.

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Lawsuit Filed Against Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Erie County

April 9, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

A childhood victim of priest sex abuse at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and Holy Trinity School filed a civil lawsuit in Erie County Supreme Court of New York. This New York Catholic Church lawsuit, filed in September of 2019, was filed against the Diocese of Buffalo and claims Monsignor Valerio Bernardo, a pastor of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and Holy Trinity School, abused the plaintiff during the late 1960s when she was about five years old. The plaintiff and her family were parishioners at Holy Trinity Church and she was a student at Holy Trinity School.

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Lawsuit Filed by Six Women Against the Diocese of Austin Texas

April 8, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Father Isidore Ndagizimana, better known as Father Izzy, of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, has been accused of sexually abusing 6 female parishioners. The six women, whose names have been left anonymous, claim Father Ndagizimana would touch them inappropriately in the confessional box at church and tried kissing them. Also, while their husbands were away he would often show up at their homes uninvited.

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Harrisburg Catholic Diocese Attempts to Reduce Sex Abuse Lawsuit Payouts with Bankruptcy Filing

March 10, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

The Harrisburg Catholic Diocese has recently declared bankruptcy as a result of ongoing and mounting Catholic Church sexual abuse claims. The diocese has already paid out nearly $13 million to 111 victims of childhood sexual abuse and church officials believe there may be more than 200 additional victims who could seek compensation through the bankruptcy proceedings.

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California Catholic Church Settlement Fund Created

November 15, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Six California Catholic Diocese including: Diocese of Fresno, Diocese of Orange, Diocese of Sacramento, Diocese of San Bernardino, Diocese of San Diego, and Los Angeles Archdiocese have recently unveiled a new sexual abuse settlement program for victims of childhood priest molestation in the Catholic Church. Details of the California Catholic Church Settlement fund allow for victims to file a claim without having to directly sue the Catholic Church in court but the deadline is and provide a deadline of January 31, 2020. Typically to file a lawsuit victims would be governed by California’s Statute of limitation laws.

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Accused Priest List Released by Archdioceses of Burlington (Vermont)

November 4, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

In August of 2019, Bishop Christopher Coyne, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, released a list of 40 priests accused of child sexual abuse. The abuse allegations were deemed credible by a committee appointed by Bishop Coyne, which consisted of seven lay members, four men and three women. One member was a non-catholic and one, John Mahoney, a sixty-five-year-old man from Burlington, Vermont, was a priest abuse survivor himself who settled with the church many years prior. It took the committee nine months to read through more than 50 personnel files belonging to the 40 priests. The committee used the guidelines set forward by the Catholic Archdiocese of Syracuse, New York to help them navigate through all of the documents and information.

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Other States Offer Glimpse of Ways NY’s Abuse Cases Could Play Out

September 4, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

In August 2019, New York legislature enacted a new law that gave survivors of childhood sexual abuse a one-year window to file a lawsuit against their abusers. Already, over 500 cases have been filed with the state and experts estimate that thousands of lawsuits are on the way. Advocates, including attorneys, for the victims believe that justice is needed in the form of being heard by the public, recognition of the abuse, and financial compensation. Melissa Breger, a professor at the Albany (NY) Law School, agrees, “I think for a lot of these folks, it’s validation that, ‘Yes, what happened to me was wrong and the fact that I was a child and could not do anything about it is being understood now and I can now seek redress as an adult.” Ms. Breger also previously worked with domestic violence victims and victims of childhood abuse.

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Catholic Priest Guilty of Sex Abuse in Washington, DC

September 3, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

The Rev. Urbano Vazquez, a Catholic priest from Shrine of the Sacred Heart Parish in Northwest Washington, D.C. has been convicted of four counts of child sexual abuse against two children. The abuse was committed from 2015-2017 and Father Vazquez was arrested in November 2018. He was on a list of Catholic priests credibly accused of priest molestation against children which was released shortly before his arrest in late 2018.

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Woman Sues Megachurch for $1 Million for Mishandling Her Sex Abuse Case

August 26, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Religious Institutions Sexual Abuse & Assault

In recent news, an 18-year-old-woman has hired a sexual abuse lawyer and is suing The Village Church (TVC) in Texas for more than $1 million dollars. According to the lawsuit filing, the plaintiff was allegedly 11 years old when she was sexually molested by TVC employee Matthew Tonne while attending summer camp. To make matters worse, TVC handled the initial allegations by the plaintiff poorly. Matt Chandler, TVC’s pastor, was quoted as saying “[the unnamed sexual abuser did not currently have] access to member children of TVC” because Tonne technically no longer worked for TVC. Chandler was later quoted in an email to the TVC congregation saying that Tonne was leaving TVC due to an “alcohol abuse problem”. In other words, Tonne was not leaving TVC as a result of the sexual abuse lawsuit. Tonne also received a severance package from TVC upon departure.

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Survivors of child sexual abuse gear up to file lawsuits against their abusers in New York

August 23, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

As of August 14, 2019 New York survivors of childhood sexual abuse will be given a one-year window to file a lawsuit against their abusers under the new Child Victims Act passed by NY legislature earlier this year. Thousands of cases are expected to be filed with payout estimates to victims in the millions of dollars. Under the new one-year window law, anyone who was abused is eligible to file a claim with a sexual abuse lawyer. Additionally, New York has gone from one of the worst states to one of the best states to file a childhood sexual abuse lawsuit.

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Catholic Church in N.H. Publishes Names of Priests Accused of Sex Abuse of Minors

August 22, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

The Catholic Diocese of Manchester, NH has created a website that shows a comprehensive list of priests that have been accused of Catholic Church sexual abuse. The website includes the names of priests both living and deceased dating back to incidents that occurred in the 1950s. As of August 2019, the Catholic Diocese of Manchester, NH has paid nearly $30 million to compensate victims who filed Catholic Church lawsuits.

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Catholic Church Offers Cash to Settle Abuse Claims – With a Catch

August 2, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

In an effort to cut the total number and size of payouts made by the Catholic Church to its sexual abuse victims, and to hide key documents from the public, the Diocese of Scranton, PA and other dioceses in the US are offering child sexual abuse victims’ closed-door settlements. These settlement programs are run by third-party administrators outside of the church and offer ‘swift’ resolutions opposed to trials.

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The Biggest Deterrent to Reporting Child Sexual Abuse

July 25, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits

Recent studies have shown that only about 34% of child-sexual-abuse victims in the United States tell authorities of their abuse before adulthood. Another 33% do tell authorities of their abuse, but far later in life with the median age being 52. And unfortunately, the final 33% never reveal their abuse. One of the contributing factors to these statistics is a law that has been a staple of the US legal system – the statute of limitations. Basically, the statute of limitations is the maximum time allowed for a victim to file a claim in a legal system.

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Minnesota Catholic Diocese to Pay $34m to Victims of Clergy Abuse

July 17, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

The Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota has agreed on a settlement to pay $34 million to at least 93 victims of sexual abuse. In conjunction with the monetary compensation for the sexually abused victims, the settlement was designed to advance the ‘children protection movement’ and to prevent sexual predators, specifically of the Catholic Church, from victimizing another generation.

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Providence Diocese Lists Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children

July 15, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, RI has recently released the names of 50 priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children dating back to 1950. In the posting on their website, the diocese indicates that 19 of the 50 names are priests and deacons that are still alive, but nearly all of the accused have been removed from ministry.

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Superior Court reinstates priest molestation lawsuit filed against Altoona-Johnstown Diocese

July 9, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

A Pennsylvania Superior Court has recently reinstated an important lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, PA. The lawsuit claims that a woman was repeatedly molested by a pedophile priest in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The case was originally dismissed in December 2017 by a Blair County, PA Common Pleas Court due to an expiration of the statute of limitations (the time allowed to file a claim by law).

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The Catholic Church is Not Alone

June 26, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Nearly 20 years ago, The Boston Globe lifted the curtain on the Boston Archdiocese exposing their coordinated plan to help pedophile priests avoid detection from the public and the law. Sickening and self-serving, their plan allowed those same priests and clergy to continually sexually abuse hundreds of children in Massachusetts. And as time passed, it became clear that Boston and the state of Massachusetts were not the only areas housing sexual predators embedded in the Catholic Church.

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The Southern Baptist Convention must enact tough reform on its sexual abuse crisis

June 20, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Religious Institutions Sexual Abuse & Assault

With 15 million members and more than 47,000 churches, Baptists make up the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. And ten years ago, Southern Baptists cried out to denominational leaders to create a registry of sexual abusers within the church. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) did not listen. Instead, they insisted that individual churches were autonomous and therefore sexual abuse crimes within the church were not their responsibility.

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Woman can sue Catholic Church in Pa. over alleged priest abuse 40 years ago, court says

June 17, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

With an important victory for sexual abuse victims, a Pennsylvania court has recently ruled that a woman can pursue her lawsuit claiming clergy in the Altoona-Johnstown, PA Roman Catholic Diocese covered up her alleged molestation by a priest. The lawsuit was initially dismissed by a county judge in 2017 because the statute of limitations had expired. However, a three-judge Superior Court panel reinstated the woman’s lawsuit which claims that two bishops illegally tried to cover up her sexual abuse by a priest to protect their reputations. The ruling may allow more sexual abuse victims whose abuse occurred long ago, to file claims.

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Police seized 57 items from Saginaw Diocese during raid, including ‘victim list’

June 11, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Police in Saginaw, MI recently executed search warrants on three Catholic Diocese properties while investigating claims of sexual abuse done to minors by clergy. Public documents show that police seized nearly 60 items of evidence including what was found in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet at the diocese headquarters, a file titled “victim list”. Additional items from seize included: computers, flash drives, expense accounts, internal memos, and the personal files of convicted sexual-abuser Rev. Robert J. DeLand Jr., three other priests, and one deacon.

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The U.S. Catholic Church spent more than $300M on abuse-related costs in 12 months

June 10, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

According to a recent report released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, from June 2017 to June 2018 the U.S. Catholic Church spent a whopping $301.6 million on clergy sexual abuse costs. Two-thirds of the clergy sexual abuse costs, or nearly $200 million, were spent on legal settlements. Additionally, the report revealed that during the same 12-month period, the Catholic Church fielded nearly 1,100 new “credible allegations” of sexual abuse committed on a minor by priests and other clergy.

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House panel OKs bill to extend statute of limitations for sex-abuse lawsuits

June 4, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

The Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee has voted by unanimous decision to give victims of childhood sexual abuse more time to sue their abusers and the institutions that shielded these criminal predators. This bill is a welcome relief for sexual abuse victims and their families. Jim Scanlan, a Rhode Island man whose account of sex abuse by a Boston College High School priest in the late 1970s that was highlighted in the Oscar-winning movie Spotlight had this to say during testimony, “This bill is important in that it allows a vehicle for more victims and survivors to come forward and really expose who the predators are, and partially to expose, those who protect them.”

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Buffalo Diocese pays $17.5M to 106 clergy sex abuse victims

June 3, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

106 childhood victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse in the Buffalo, NY area have been paid $17.5 million in compensation. The Buffalo, NY diocese has offered a total of 127 settlements with an average award of $158,622 to the sexual abuse victims. The largest settlement offer is $650,000 and due to increasing offers, the diocese’s total cost could end up north of $18 million. The trend is up. In January 2019, Buffalo News reported that the diocese had offered more than $8 million to nearly four dozen people, according to victims and lawyers. That total settlement amount has more than doubled in less than six months.

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More Than 80 Clergy Members Named in Sexual Abuse Report

May 28, 2019 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse

Three sexual abuse survivors from the Albany, NY area testified in court recently that they were abused by more than 80 clergy members from the Albany Diocese. One woman testified that she was raped and exploited by a man who was a teacher and counselor at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, NY. Mark Lyman, another sexual abuse survivor that testified, said “Many of us were told when we were being abused that we were the only one. My reason for being here is to protect children and to make sure that what happened to me as a child doesn’t happen to another child here in New York State.” Mr. Lyman has spoken out more than once about the abuse he suffered as a child growing up at his church in Troy, NY.

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