Miscellaneous

• Discovery Leads to More Priest Abusers in Orlando

  Joe Saunders | August 13, 2007 11:14 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  The deposition of Sister Lucy Vasquez, O.P., the former Chancellor of the Diocese of Orlando, has led to a very good piece of investigative journalism by Mark Pinsky of the Orlando Sentinel. Pinsky, read the deposition transcript and began his own investigation. He found that two Philadelphia priests who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse in Philadelphia had moved to Orlando and may...

• Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against United Healthcare

  Joe Saunders | July 24, 2007 3:41 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Today, I filed a class action lawsuit against United Healthcare for misrepresentation and fraudulent marketing in violation of The Florida Medicare Supplement Act. The lawsuit states that the defendants, United Health Group, Inc. and United Healthcare of Florida Inc. enrolled Medicare recipients into their Medical Advantage HMO and PPO plans without obtaining their signatures and consent to...

• LA Priest Abuse Settlement and Cardinal Mahony

  Joe Saunders | July 20, 2007 1:10 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  I appeared on Fox 13's Your Turn with Kathy Fountain this week to discuss the recent abuse settlement in Los Angeles. As I stated on the program, the institutional secrecy that is so much a part of the fabric of the Catholic Church has contributed to the sex abuse scandal. This is quite evident in the case of Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles who fought the survivors in court until it was obvious...

• Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Settles Priest Abuse Cases

  Joe Saunders | July 16, 2007 11:03 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay 508 plaintiffs $660 million for abuse they suffered at the hands of Catholic clergy dating back decades. The settlement is the largest priest abuse settlement since the sexual abuse scandal broke in Boston in 2002. However, this by no means bankrupts the church in Los Angelese. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Archdiocese of Los...

• CNN Anchor Thomas Roberts Tells His Tale of Abuse

  Joe Saunders | March 13, 2007 1:33 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  For Thomas Roberts, the abuse remained in the shadows. As a successful CNN news anchor, Roberts had buried the hurt, anger, and shame of the abuse-even from himself. Finally, after suffering in silence and fear for 20 years, Roberts came forth and told his tale of horror. Many sexual abuse survivors tell similar tales. They are fearful of recrimination, rejection, and most of all, once again...

• Fort Myers Youth Pastor Charged with Sexual Assault

  Joe Saunders | February 14, 2007 8:26 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  A Fort Myers Youth pastor has been charged with sexually assaulting two children for nearly a year. Elantonio Gomez is charged with two counts of Custodial Sexual Battery. The alarming part of the story is that this behavior is still happening in our churches, synagogues, and places of worship. The victims are often unwitting children who are forced to submit to the abuse. They are scared...

• More Problems for Catholic Church in Florida

  Joe Saunders | October 25, 2006 12:43 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Within a week, the Catholic Church in Florida has been rocked by the revelations of two more sexually abusive priests and two other priests who stole millions from the collection plate. Rev. Anthony Mercieca, now 69 and living on the Maltese island of Gozo, recalls touching former Congressman Mark Foley but not abusing him sexually. Mercieca seems incredibly unmoved by the damage inflicted by...

• Rep. Mark Foley Needs to Disclose the Identity of His Abuser

  Joe Saunders | October 04, 2006 5:22 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  If Rep. Mark Foley was the victim of a crime, he needs to identify the perpetrator in order to protect other minors. It's not enough that he's disclosed that he's a victim of sexual abuse, he needs to prevent future abuse by naming his accuser.In all the political uproar, this message concerning the safety of our children has been lost. Just as the Catholic bishops thought first about...

• 2 Florida Priests Accused of Stealing Millions of Parish Funds

  Joe Saunders | September 29, 2006 10:08 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Two Diocese of Palm Beach priests stand accused of stealing $8.6 million from their parish, St. Vincent Ferrer in Delray Beach. Monsignor John Skehan was arrested last evening at Palm Beach International Airport as he returned from Ireland.

• Anesthesia Administration a Risky Proposition for Patients

  Joe Saunders | August 09, 2006 9:58 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  In today's Wall St. Journal,, there's a disturbing article about the administration of anesthesia by those who are not properly trained. This lack of training significantly increases the risks of respiratory complications, cardiac arrest, brain damage and even death. According to the article which cites a University HealthSystem Consortium study, "there may be a potentially 1,690 incidents a...