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West Virginia Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer - West Virginia Catholic Church Sexual Assault Settlements
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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. West Virginia Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer West Virginia
Four Sex Abuse Victims Win $27.5 Million in Settlement with Catholic Church
Between 2003 and 2009, four children were sexually abused by Angelo Serrano who was their teacher for catechism class. He also aided with organization of religious education at St. Lucy’s-St. Patrick’s Church located in Brooklyn. The victims told officials their abuse happened at the church, at Serrano’s apartment which was located behind the church, and at an after school program that was affiliated with the church.
The ages of the boys who were abused varied from eight to 12 at the time of abuse. One of the boys let his mother know what was happening and she contacted local law enforcement. Serrano was arrested by police in 2009 and two years later pleaded guilty to charges of molestation and rape. He is now serving a 15 year sentence.
West Virginia Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
The Catholic Church’s Standard Response
Many people, even some Catholics, around the world are tired of the responses by high ranking church officials. In the case of Serrano, the diocese said the abuse happened only in Serrano’s apartment and not on church grounds. One can only assume they were getting at they didn’t believe they should be held accountable. They also stated that he was just a volunteer, although he received a stipend. However, the diocese was guilty in part of what happened because two of their priests knew what Serrano was doing but failed to take action or tell law enforcement. In a standard move for the church, the two priests, Stephen Lynch and Frank Shannon, were moved to work at other parishes.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer West Virginia
Training Only Goes So Far
In 2002, reporters from the Boston Globe conducted an investigation into the Catholic Church’s widespread sexual abuse of children and the coverup by high ranking officials. In response to the many allegations the Boston Globe reporters detailed, the church began training their clergy in the warning signs of child sexual abuse. The problem is, many of the clergy turned a blind eye and didn’t report anything to anyone. The training proved useless for the abused boys as the priests didn’t act on the signs. So Serrano went on being abusive.
The diocese said it hopes the victims can begin to heal after the settlement. This settlement represents one of the largest settlements the Catholic Church has agreed to in the U.S. What remains to be seen with more and more proof of the widespread abuse is whether the $27.5 million will end up being one of the largest or if there are many more skeletons in the Catholic Church’s closet.
West Virginia Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
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