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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Louisiana State Appeals Court Upholds Constitutionality of Revival Window
March 14, 2024 / by Christina Feeney / Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits
The Louisiana state appeals court upheld the constitutionality of Louisiana’s three-year revival window law , which was enacted in . . .
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Investigation Finds Southern Baptist Leaders Covered Up Sex Abuse Claims
May 25, 2022 / by Christina Feeney / Religious Institutions Sexual Abuse & Assault
A third-party investigation, done at the request of Southern Baptists, found that for almost twenty years, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention were ignoring claims regarding a sexual abuse epidemic within the community.
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Diocese of Oakland Priest Accused of Raping Boy Decades Ago
May 28, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A recent lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Oakland accuses deceased priest Monsignor John T. McCracken of raping a young boy on multiple occasions between 1972 and 1974. It is the first time McCracken has been accused of sexual abuse of a child and his name is not on the Dioceses’ 2019 list of priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children.
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Texas Priest Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse
March 16, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / 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.
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Truth and Reconciliation Commission Says Seattle Archbishop is Stonewalling Them
March 5, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Heal our Heart, the citizen-led group of prominent Catholics in Washington State discussed last April, are continuing their call for a public review of the “Seattle Archdiocese’s private records on clergy abuse.” The alliance remains resolute that a ‘truth and reconciliation’ approach to the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal will bring healing through transparency.
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Illinois Priest Michael Pfleger Faces Sex Abuse Accusations
March 4, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A popular Chicago priest is facing accusations he molested two brothers back in the 1970s when they were boys. The men, who now live in Texas, accused Father Michael Pfleger of sexually abusing them in his bedroom at the churches he served at on Chicago’s South Side. The brothers have chosen to remain anonymous since they still have family in Chicago and don’t want them to receive any backlash from Pfleger’s supporters.
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Diocese of Charleston Faces Two Priest Abuse Lawsuits
February 24, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In a matter of seven days, the Catholic Diocese of Charleston found itself having to defend itself against two allegations of priest sexual abuse. The allegations of abuse span from 1961 through the mid-1970s.
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Maryland Statute of Limitations for Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases
February 19, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
How long you have to file a clergy abuse lawsuit in Maryland is a common question. For some Maryland 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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Augustinians Agree to Settlement of $1.4 Million for Sexual Abuse Claims
February 18, 2021 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A $1.4 million dollar settlement was reached with the Augustine Order involving sexual abuse allegations against deceased Rev. John J. Gallagher. The settlement compensates 11 survivors, 10 females and 1 male whom Gallagher abused between 1974 and 1978 during his time at St. Mary’s School in Lawrence, MA.
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How Long do I have to File a Clergy Abuse Lawsuit?
December 2, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Each state sets their own laws which govern how long a survivor has to file a claim, and the differences between states can be dramatic. Many clergy sexual abuse survivors are concerned about how long they have to file a lawsuit. Find general and state specific information regarding laws for filing a claim.
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Sex Trafficking Charges Filed Against Northern Ohio Catholic Priest
November 25, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The sad reality is that clergy abuse is still an issue for the Catholic Church. Several parishes in northern Ohio, including those in the Toledo, Finlay, and Van Wert areas were reminded of that reality when on August 18, 2020, Father Michael Zacharias was arrested and charged with sex trafficking.
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Number of Clergy Abuse Lawsuits Filed in Pennsylvania Surge
November 20, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Over the last few years, many states have passed reform bills to help survivors of childhood sexual abuse hold their abusers, and the institutions responsible for the abuse, accountable. Several states, including New York and California, have passed laws setting up what are commonly referred to as ‘revival windows.’ These ‘revival windows’ create a time frame for previously expired claims to be brought on behalf of the survivor.
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Diocese of Covington, KY Release List of Accused Clergy
November 9, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
The Diocese of Covington, Kentucky has released a list of priests who have served in its diocese and have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. The list comes after two former FBI agents spent almost a full year reviewing diocese records dating back to 1950. The comprehensive list contains the names of 59 priests and 31 others affiliated with the diocese dating back almost 70 years.
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New York’s Child Victims Act Extended – Again
October 30, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits
For the second time since the law was initially passed in 2019, New York’s Child Victims Act (“CVA”) has been extended, providing more time for child sex abuse survivors to pursue legal claims, both criminally and civilly. The extension moves the new deadline to August 14, 2021.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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New Jersey Lawsuit Claims Allentown Diocese Covered Up 30 Years of Sexual Abuse
April 17, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A lawsuit filed in New Jersey by a former Diocese of Allentown altar boy claims that the diocese failed to protect him as he was sexually abused for decades. The $50 million suit contends diocese officials turned their backs on the victim and failed to protect him from the abuse even after knowing his abuser was a pedophile.
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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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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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