Lawsuit says L.A. Archdiocese failed to inform about allegations against priest
Perpetrators of child sexual abuse often go to great lengths to work with or be near children in order to “groom” them for abuse. Employers, and especially religious and youth organizations, should implement proper screening, monitoring and reporting processes in order to protect children from sexual predators.
Unfortunately, even when an organization has rules designed to prevent abuse, sometimes administrators and other officials ignore allegations or try to sweep them under the rug in order to protect the organization’s reputation. That is the claim in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and a Catholic church in Covina.
The plaintiff, now 25, says he was 12 years old when he was sexually abused by a priest who has since been removed from the church. At the time of his removal, the archdiocese claimed the reason was a personnel matter, but later the archdiocese said the priest was dismissed because he was “emotionally unstable,” had interfered with an internal investigation, and had harshly exercised his authority.
What the archdiocese did not say was that the priest had been accused of sexual abuse. According to the suit, a list of accused priests was “quietly released” in 2013, and the priest named in the lawsuit was on the list, but the parishes where he had worked were not notified.
The lawsuit claims that the priest molested at least two children before he was dismissed. The archdiocese reportedly did not remove him from active ministry until 2006, five years after the start of the abuse alleged in the lawsuit.
In this case, the church had apparently established rules preventing the priest from being alone with children, but the suit alleges that underage boys were regularly alone with him in movie theaters, coffee shops, his living quarters and other locations.
The lawyers of Taylor & Ring represent survivors of child sexual abuse. To learn more about statutes of limitations and other aspects of this sensitive area of law, please see our overview of holding employers responsible for their role in allowing abuse to happen.
Serving clients throughout the Greater Los Angeles and Southern California area, we represent victims in a variety of civil litigation cases. If you or a loved one has been injured, turn to an experienced Los Angeles personal injury or sexual assault lawyer.
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