Wisconsin Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer - Wisconsin Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Settlements WI


If you were sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church, you are not aloneWe are here to help you.  Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and a Wisconsin 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.  Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Wisconsin


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.  Wisconsin Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer


































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Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Wisconsin

SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL IN THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE


Lawrence C. Murphy was an American priest who worked at the St. John School for the Deaf in St. Francis, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1950 to 1974.  Father Murphy was reported to have begun abusing students at the school in the 1950s, but he was promoted to run the school in 1963 due to his skill in American Sign Language and fund raising. 


Father Murphy was accused of touching students with their pants pulled down in his office, and he also faced accusations of abusing students in his mother’s country house, during school outings, on fund raising expeditions, and on campus in the dormitories.  Father Murphy was never disciplined by the Church nor was he charged by the police.  Archbishop William Cousins of Milwaukee moved Father Murphy from the school to the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin in 1974.  Father Murphy continued to work extensively with children in schools, parishes, and a detention center for juveniles for the remainder of his life. 


Wisconsin Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer


Former molested students tried in vain for 30 years to get the archdiocese of Milwaukee to take further action against Father Murphy.  Finally, in 1993, Archbishop Rembert Weakland hired a social worker to interview Father Murphy about the allegations.  The social worker reported that Father Murphy confessed to molesting approximately 200 boys without expressing remorse.  Archbishop Weakland did not attempt to have Father Murphy defrocked until 1996, writing to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that the reason for the defrocking would be to regain the trust of the deaf community. 


Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Wisconsin


The leader of this Vatican office from 1981 to 2005 was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who later became Pope Benedict XVI.  It remains the office that decides whether canonical trials and defrocking should be given to priests who face accusations of sexual abuse.
After receiving no response from Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop Weakland contacted another Vatican office in 1997 requesting urgent attention due to an impending lawsuit and potential for public scandal. 


Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone gave permission for the bishops in Wisconsin to begin a canonical trial, but, in response, Father Murphy wrote Cardinal Ratzinger and requested that he not be tried for a defrocking because he had repented, and his health was failing.  Following this, the trial was halted, and Father Murphy died in 1998 and was buried in full vestments.  Archbishop Weakland resigned from his position in 2002 after his affair with a man and knowledge of a settlement to the man that was paid with church money was made public. 

Wisconsin Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer

















































Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Wisconsin - Free Confidential Consultation - 1-866-777-2557

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Priest Sex Abuse Lawyer