Sarasota Personal Injury Lawyer - Sex Abuse in the Church

Dominican Bishop Accused of Sexual Abuse in Diocese of Venice

Joe Saunders — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:34:47 GMT

A former bishop of the Catholic diocese of Bani in the Dominican Republic has been accused of sexual abuse by a 42 year old Cuban refugee. I don't understand why a bishop would be working as an ordinary priest in the Diocese of Venice. That is definately not the norm in the Catholic Church. Bishops simply don't become demoted and work as priests in different dioceses. I wonder if this bishop had had problems or accusations while he was a bishop in the Dominican Republic. Hopefully, the plaintiff's attorney will ask these questions in the discovery phase of his lawsuit.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Discovery Leads to More Priest Abusers in Orlando

Joe Saunders — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:14:47 GMT

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 have functioned as priests in the area. While Sister Lucy couldn't recall Fr. Stanley Gana during her deposition testimony, she is quoted in the 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury Report as having received a complaint about him in the mid-1990's. At the time, she called her counterpart in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who informed her of the priest's past behavior. According to a memo the Philadelphia priest composed as a result of his telephone conversation with Sister Lucy, she wanted to avoid "adverse publicity." However, according to her deposition testimony, she inexplicably made no notes, prepared no correspondence, and made no phone calls to civil authorities about Fr. Gana. During the time of this incident, Sr. Lucy was the Chancellor of the Diocese of Orlando and in charge of any allegations of priest sexual abuse.

The other priest, Rev. Nicholas Cudemo was described by his religious superior as "one of the sickest people I ever knew". Cudemo is quoted in the Philadelphia Grand Jury Report as having received permission to work in the Diocese of Orlando during the late 1990's. Why didn't any of the church officials in Orlando ask Philadelphia about this priest? Why didn't they ask for his personnel file? Instead, they unleashed a depraved sexual predator on unsuspecting Catholics and their children.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

LA Priest Abuse Settlement and Cardinal Mahony

Joe Saunders — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:10:51 GMT

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 to him (and to everyone else) that he couldn't hide behind his robes any longer. On the eve of a public trial during which Mahony would have been forced to testify about his role in the sex abuse scandal, he decided that it would be better to make the whole thing disappear by offering $660 million to those abused by Catholic priests in Los Angeles. In settling with the 500 or so plaintiffs, Mahony avoided having to air his dirty laundry in a public forum. Because of this settlement we may never know the extent of his involvement nor the level in which bad priests were protected from authorities and allowed to continue to prey on children. This isn't justice. Unfortunately, it allows Mahony to continue in his position as leader of the Catholic Church in Los Angeles without the public ever knowing his betrayal of the faithful's trust.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Settles Priest Abuse Cases

Joe Saunders — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:03:13 GMT

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 Angeles has real estate holdings worth an estimated $4 billion. Besides the amount of the settlement, there are important facts to be learned from this tragedy in Los Angeles. First, those who were abused by priests and religious were courageous and persistent in their quest for justice. Secondly, Cardinal Mahony avoids publicly humiliating trials (15 at last count) that would have forced him to expose his Church's complicity in criminal behavior or perjure himself. Thirdly, the public will (hopefully) have access to the priests' personnel files. If the Archdiocese complies with the terms of the settlement agreement, they will be forced to reveal the hidden secrets and behavior of its worst priests. The public has a right to this information so that history does not repeat itself. Finally, all institutions including the Catholic Church are not above the law or the public trust. They must be accountable to the larger society.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

CNN Anchor Thomas Roberts Tells His Tale of Abuse

Joe Saunders — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:33:05 GMT

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 confronting the horror they experienced as a child. As a trial lawyer who has represented these courageous people, I'm proud of Roberts for coming forward and sharing his painful story. Hopefully, others will draw comfort and strength from his courage.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Fort Myers Youth Pastor Charged with Sexual Assault

Joe Saunders — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:26:32 GMT

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 and don't know what to do. They don't dare tell anyone, even their parents. There is also a strong sense of guilt since the abuser is seen as God's representative. The damage done to victims of sexual abuse is tragic and can haunt the person for a lifetime. In spite of Safe Environment programs in our churches, abusers still find ways to seek out our children and harm them.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

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

Joe Saunders — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:22:26 GMT

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 protecting the institution, the Congressional leaders first considered their power and prestige rather than the safety of children.

That's the real story and the tragedy of the Mark Foley saga.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Ft. Myers Pastor Charged with Sexual Abuse of Minors

Joe Saunders — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 14:48:03 GMT

Pastor Russell Brown was arrested Monday night on charges he molested three young boys who attended his church, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. He is accused of three felony counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. Prior to his arrest, he had been pastor of the church for 20 years. In all, there are six children that have come forward to accuse Brown of sexual abuse between the years 1999-2006.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

New Boss (Hopefully) Not the Same as the Old Boss

Joe Saunders — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:55:57 GMT

As the Diocese of Venice, which includes Sarasota, prepares to welcome a new bishop, we can only hope that this new prelate will deal with the scourge of sexual abuse more openly and honestly than his predecessor, Most. Rev. John Nevins. Nevins has a long history of transferring, covering up, and protecting abusive priests. In fact, in one notorious case, he set up the offending priest with money and a new job in Ireland! Time for him to retire and depart.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Sarasota Personal Injury Lawyer - Sex Abuse in the Church

Dominican Bishop Accused of Sexual Abuse in Diocese of Venice

Discovery Leads to More Priest Abusers in Orlando

LA Priest Abuse Settlement and Cardinal Mahony

Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Settles Priest Abuse Cases

CNN Anchor Thomas Roberts Tells His Tale of Abuse

Fort Myers Youth Pastor Charged with Sexual Assault

More Problems for Catholic Church in Florida

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

Ft. Myers Pastor Charged with Sexual Abuse of Minors

New Boss (Hopefully) Not the Same as the Old Boss