With Hach & Rose, LLP, you get a team of skilled attorneys. Stanley Spero was named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers and the National Association of Trial Lawyers in 2017.
Hillary M. Nappi is a member of the Westchester County Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Michael A. Rose is a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Halina Radchenko is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Brooklyn Bar Association, Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, and Columbian Lawyers Association. John A. Blyth served as a Legal Intern for Supreme Court Judge Philip S. Straniere.
One of the best reasons to choose Hach & Rose, LLP is because we will handle your case on a contingency fee basis. In other words, you will not have to worry about paying us anything until you actually receive a monetary award.
Some of the different members of the Catholic Church that may be accused of sexual abuse include, but are not limited to:
- Priests
- Resident priests
- Pastors
- Associate pastors
- Teachers
- Chaplains
- Deacons
- Seminary administrators
Many other aspects of a Catholic Church sex abuse claim will vary depending on the victim. The location where the abuse occurred, the type of abuse, and how long the abuse lasted for are all important factors that can be different for independent victims.
Will I have to enter into a confidentiality agreement?
Not necessarily. A confidentiality agreement is usually agreed to by all of the parties involved. Some victims may prefer to enter a confidentiality agreement to maintain privacy. Many Catholic Church complaints are so-called “John Doe” complaints and churches are inclined to respect a victim’s desire for privacy. Confidentiality may also be sought to avoid involvement with the criminal justice system in some cases.
What is the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People?
The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was a comprehensive set of procedures established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in June 2002 for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The Charter contains guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability, and prevention of further acts of abuse.
The Charter was drafted by eight members of the Bishops' Ad Hoc committee on Sexual Abuse, including two experts in treating sexual abusers and two lay people, one of whom was a victim of abuse. One of the major provisions of the Charter was that it considered anyone under 18 years of age to be a minor, whereas Canon Law considers a minor to be anybody under 16 years of age. The Charter pertains to all acts of abuse, including those that occurred before implementation of the Charter.
Do I still have a case if my abuser has died?
Possibly. While the abuser him or herself may not be personally liable anymore, a church could still be liable if the abuser was allowed to remain a priest after learning of alleged misconduct. In such cases of claims against a church, the death of an abuser may not necessarily derail the legal claim.
On August 16, 2018, NPR reported that a Pennsylvania grand jury report alleged that 301 clergy members were accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 minors over the past 70 years. A 2002 Boston Globe investigation found that over 70 Boston priests had sexually abused children.
A research study conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York for the USCCB found that 10,667 individuals made allegations of child sexual abuse by priests. The report stated that there were allegations of sexual abuse against 4,392 priests not withdrawn or known to be false between 1950 and 2002.
The same John Jay research study found that 38.4 percent of alleged abuse occurred within a single year, 21.8 percent of alleged abuse lasted more than a year but less than two years, 28 percent of alleged abuse lasted between two and four years, 10.2 percent of alleged abuse lasted between five and nine years, and less than 1 percent of alleged abuse lasted 10 or more years. The amount of money already paid by the Catholic Church as a result of allegations to victims was $472 million.
The John Jay research study also reported that at the time of alleged abuse, 42.3 percent of priests were associate pastors, 25.1 percent were pastors, 10.4 percent were resident priests, 7.2 percent were teachers, and all other categories accounted for less than 3 percent each. According to the study, 56 percent of priests were alleged to have abused one victim, almost 27 percent were alleged to have abused two or three victims, almost 14 percent were alleged to have abused four to nine victims, and 3.4 percent were alleged to have abused more than 10 victims. The 3.5 percent of priests with more than 10 allegations of abuse included 149 priests allegedly responsible for abusing 2,960 victims, or 26 percent of allegations.
According to the study, 50.9 percent of alleged victims were between 11 years of age and 14 years of age, 27.3 percent were between 15 years of age and 17 years of age, 16 percent were 8 years of age to 10 years of age, and almost 6 percent were under 7 years of age. The study said 81 percent of victims were male and 19 percent were female.
Alleged abuse occurred in the priest’s home or the parish residence in 40.9 percent of cases, in the church in 16.3 percent of cases, in the victim’s home in 12.4 percent of cases, in a vacation house in 10.3 percent of cases, in school in 10.3 percent of cases, and in a car in 9.8 percent of cases.
Were you or your loved one the victim of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church? You don’t have to suffer in silence any longer. The Catholic Church sex abuse lawyers of Hach & Rose, LLP will be your voice, and we’ll aggressively seek the compensation that you’re owed. Together, we can send a message that this type of behavior does have consequences, and by taking a stand, we can hopefully protect others from suffering in the future.
Time is limited to take action, so contact Hach & Rose, LLP right away to discuss your case and your rights. Our consultations are always 100% confidential and free of charge, so call (212) 779-0057 or contact us online to speak with one of our caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable sex abuse lawyers today.
