A New York priest has been accused by multiple victims of using his position as a Catholic clergy member to gain the trust of young parishioners and assault them.

Church Sued Over Catholic Sex Abuse Accusations

At least 10 victims have come forward with accusations against Father Edward Pipala, a former priest who was assigned to several churches, including Sacred Heart Church in Monroe, and St. John the Evangelist in Goshen. Pipala died in 2013 after serving 7 years in prison for sex crimes against other victims.

According to one victim who claims that Pipala began to abuse him when he was 13, the priest assaulted him approximately 150 times over the course of 5 years. These assaults allegedly took place in the church basement, as well as at a condo where the priest would take groups of young boys for overnight stays. According to the victims, Pipala was the founder of a secret club called “the Hole” at both churches he was stationed at.

According to Pipala, he created the Hole to give teenage parishioners with strained family relationships a place to go to share their feelings, rather than ending up in a bar talking to a stranger. However, Pipala allegedly used the Hole to lure victims for abuse. Boys who were invited to join the Hole were allegedly given alcohol and pills and shown pornography before Pipala assaulted them.

The initial Catholic sex abuse accusations against Pipala surfaced in 1992, after which the priest was sent to a psychiatric hospital. He later pleaded guilty to federal sexual assault crimes and was sent to prison for 7 years.

Despite New York Archdiocese officials learning of accusations against Pipala as early as 1977, the priest was assigned to two parishes where he ran youth groups and a third where he was a pastor. Approximately 50 boys are estimated to have been assaulted by Pipala during his tenure as a Catholic priest.

The recent lawsuits citing abuse by Pipala were filed under the New York Child Victims Act’s look back window, which allows victims whose cases have previously expired under the state’s statutes of limitations to re-open their cases.

New York Child Victims Act

The New York Child Victims Act passed the state senate in January 2019, extending the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual assault as well as opening a look back window for victims whose cases had already expired. More than 1,500 cases have been filed under the look back window so far, which closes in August 2020.

Under the new laws, victims will have until the age of 28 to file criminal charges against their abusers, and until age 55 to open civil cases. Victims of any age can open their cases under the look back window.

If you are a victim of childhood sexual abuse by a New York Catholic priest, you may be eligible to hire an attorney and file a Catholic sex abuse lawsuit against the church and the individual clergy members involved. Victims may be able to recover compensation for their pain and suffering.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.