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Florida Church Sexual Assault Lawyer - Florida Priest Sexual Assault Lawyer Cases


If you were sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church, you are not alone.  We are here to help you.  Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and a Florida Sexual Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case.   Help is available nationwide.  There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation.  Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing.  Church Sexual Assault Lawyer Florida


Reasons to call


  • Hold the church and priests accountable
  • Prevent this from happening to someone else
  • Help with the road to recovery – settlement money can provide financial security for you.  It can also help pay for therapy, rehabilitation, and medical treatment














Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case.  Florida Church Sexual Assault Lawyer































Church Sexual Assault Lawyer Florida


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Florida Church Sexual Assault Lawyer

Bishop Joseph Keith Symons was the leader of the Palm Beach, Florida diocese from 1990 until his resignation in 1998.  Bishop Symons was ordained in 1958 and was known for his recruitment of young people in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida.  He founded a camp for children and was the director of other children’s camps.  He became an Auxiliary Bishop in 1981 and, in 1983, he was appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. 


Church Sexual Assault Lawyer Florida


In 1995, Bishop Symons faced the allegation that he had molested a boy years earlier, but he claimed this was his only victim.  A second man accused him of sexual abuse in 1998, and Bishop Symons resigned that year after he admitted to molesting five boys.  He claimed that the abuse ended 25 years earlier, and he entered psychiatric treatment at the St. Luke Institute in Maryland.


Florida Church Sexual Assault Lawyer


Symons returned to his home state of Michigan after treatment, and he resumed ministry there.  He was given permission by Bishop Carl Mengeling of the Diocese of Lansing in 1999 to hold spiritual retreats at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, Michigan.
Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell replaced Bishop Symons in the Diocese of Palm Beach in November 1998. 


Church Sexual Assault Lawyer Florida


Born in Ireland, Bishop O’Connell entered the seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.  He had previously been a priest in Jefferson City, Missouri and the first bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee before his appointment in Palm Beach.  He resigned in March of 2002 after admitting to inappropriate contact with minors while a staff member of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Jefferson City where he was spiritual director from 1968 to 1970 and rector from 1970 to 1988.


Florida Church Sexual Assault Lawyer


Bishop O’Connell was allowed to keep his title after his resignation, but he was not allowed to wear his clerical vestments or perform ministry.  The Diocese of Jefferson City paid settlements to the victims of Bishop O’Connell in 1996 and 2004.  Bishop O’Connell later claimed to regret not revealing his own accusations of sexual abuse when he replaced Bishop Symons in the diocese.  After his resignation from the Diocese of Palm Beach in 2002, Bishop O’Connell lived under supervision at Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, South Carolina until his death May 4, 2012 just prior to his 74th birthday.

Church Sexual Assault Lawyer Florida