What is The Catholic Church Doing About Sexual Abuse?

For a more comprehensive list of the numerous Catholic Church sexual abuse settlements in the U.S. and throughout the world, visit bishop-accountability.org/settlements.

Although many of the civil lawsuit settlements do not include an admission of guilt on the part of the church, it is clear that the involved dioceses believe the victims would be successful if the cases proceeded to jury trials. According to Bishop-Accountability.org’s diocese search, dozens of priests in Los Angeles have been convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to time in prison or mental hospitals.

A massive contradiction of the Catholic Church’s supposed zero-tolerance policy is its many reinstatements since the 2002 Dallas Charter, which claimed it would remove offenders from ministry. According to BishopAccountability.org, in some cases, reinstatements occurred without even interviewing victims/accusers. In other cases, although victims were paid out substantially in multi-million dollar settlements, priests were still reinstated. Such reinstatements are a key reason for why such rampant systemic abuse was able to continue for decades. Some examples of known predator priests who were reinstated include:

• Rev. Alvaro Guichard – Reinstated by Archbishop John C. Favalora – Archdiocese of Miami FL: Guichard had previously been suspended for 15 months after two men claimed in civil lawsuits that he had molested them as children. He was reinstated by a church commission that found there was “no credibility” to the victims’ allegations.
• Rev. William G. Poole – Reinstated by Bishop Ronald Gainer – Diocese of Lexington KY: Rev. William G. Poole was suspended in September 2002 after being accused of abusing a boy in 1972. His suspension was ended on December 24, 2003, despite the Covington diocese reaching a settlement with his accuser. He died on December 21, 2018.
• Rev. Robert Stricker – Reinstated by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk – Archdiocese of Cincinnati, OH: In 1993, Rev. Robert Stricker was accused of abusing a Cincinnati boy in the 1950s. At the time, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati determined the allegations were unsubstantiated. Stricker was suspended in May 2008 after the same victim brought additional information to the archdiocese, which Bishop Pilarczyk said had “some semblance of truth.” Stricker was reinstated in July 2008 after a subsequent internal investigation determined the additional information could not be substantiated. He died on March 22, 2017.
• Rev. James F. Power – Reinstated by Cardinal Sean O’Malley – Archdiocese of Boston MA: In a 1993 complaint, Rev. James F. Power was accused of supplying a 13-year-old boy with alcohol, sodomizing, and fondling him during a 1980 trip to Acadia National Park. The $35 million lawsuit settled in 1996 for an undisclosed amount. Power was placed on administrative leave in February 2002 when church officials found his file during the Boston sex abuse scandal. A second allegation was made in October 2002. Power was reinstated on January 2, 2009, after the Archdiocese ruled it could not substantiate the allegations. He died August 14, 2015.
• Rev. Eugene P. Sullivan – Reinstated by Cardinal Sean O’Malley – Archdiocese of Boston MA: Sullivan was Superintendent of Archdiocesan Schools in Holbrook, MA, in the 1970s and ’80s. In 2004, he was accused in a lawsuit of fondling a 15-year-old in his car in 1977, along with allegations of abuse by two other priests. He was placed on administrative leave in January 2005 and reinstated in 2009 after a review board determined the allegation was unsubstantiated (despite the archdiocese paying the victim $475,000 in a settlement).
• Rev. Chris Berbena – Reinstated by Bishop Allen Vigneron – Diocese of Oakland: Franciscan Father Berbena was accused in 2004 of misconduct while serving in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1980. After saying they could find no evidence of the abuse, Berbena was reinstated. His accuser was compensated in a settlement in 2006. After the settlement, the Diocese of Oakland again removed Berbena from active ministry. He was reinstated to active ministry again in February 2008.

Additionally, a provision for “treble damages” allows the court to triple the amount of damages to any survivor who proves that his or her sexual assault was the result of a cover-up. The legal term “cover-up” is defined in the Code of Civil Procedure 340.1(b)(2) as “a concerted effort to hide evidence relating to childhood sexual assault.”

If you were abused in an institutional setting, such as the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA, a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, a public or private school, or as part of a sports club, you may have a treble damages claim for compensation towards your physical and emotional trauma. If a cover-up occurred, DLG’s experienced team of sexual abuse lawyers will pursue a treble damages settlement on your behalf.

An estimated one-third of childhood sexual abuse survivors never disclose their abuse. With the passage of AB 218, from 2020 – 2022 California law permits survivors to pursue compensation in a civil suit, no matter when the abuse occurred. Even if abuse occurred decades ago, reporting it now can allow for healing, accountability, and potentially a better future with a semblance of healing and closure. Our Los Angeles sex abuse law firm has recovered more than $100 million for abuse and injury victims, and we are here to help you 24/7. Don’t let the AB 218 lookback window expire without filing your claim.

From the moment you contact an experienced member of the DLG SAJE (Sexual Assault Justice Experts) Team, you are provided with the utmost support and respect, ensuring you are never alone going forward in the legal process. And at DLG you never pay a dime up-front. Under our contingency fee agreement, we are only paid a percentage of the final financial damages award we recover by prevailing in your case. To speak with a member of our team, call us at (855) 804-9636 or contact us online for a free consultation about your case today.