Nine new sex abuse lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Newark include allegations regarding seven clerics, including one cleric who hadn’t been accused before. The suits allege that some of these clerics were allowed to remain in their positions for years after the Archdiocese was made aware of the abuse allegations against them, including in one case involving a criminal conviction.

The Allegations Against Archdiocese of Newark Priests

The nine lawsuits include allegations against four priests and three other members of the religious order. Six of those individuals have faced allegations in the past, but one cleric had never been mentioned in an allegation of sex abuse before, according to NorthJersey.com.

The four priests facing accusations in these suits include Kenneth Martin, Gerald Sudol, Joseph Rice, and John Capparelli. Martin and Sudol have both had allegations of sex abuse against them handled by the Archdiocese of Newark in the past. The four priests were all on a list of credibly accused priests published by the New Jersey Roman Catholic dioceses.

Martin faces accusations that he abused a boy at St. Andrew parish from 1981 to 1984. However, victims advocate Mark Crawford argues that the church already knew of allegations against Martin by then.

Sudol was accused on Monday of abusing a boy at St. Francis of Assisi from 1988 to 1994. Sex abuse lawsuits filed earlier this year claim that Sudol also abused boys at two other churches originating before his ordination.

Rice, who passed away in 2014, is accused of abuse at St. John the Apostle from the year 1978 through 1981. 

Caparelli was accused of abuse during the 1980s while he was working at the Holy Trinity Parish and St. Theresa. Caparelli was removed from the ministry in 1992 before going on to teach in Newark public schools. He retired in 2013 and was fatally shot last year in Nevada.

Allegations Against Religious Order Members

The suits also include allegations against two members of the Xaverian Brother religious order and one from the Pauline Brothers and Fathers: John Dagwell, Peter Russell, and Contardo Omarini.

Dagwell and Russell are both accused of abuse at St. Joseph Regional High School during the 1980s. Dagwell was convicted of sex abuse in 1988 but was never required to register as a sex offender. He went on to teach for another 15 years before dying in March 2020. Russell is facing his first allegations of sex abuse.

Omarini is accused of abusing three siblings during his time at St. Bernard Parish in the 1950s and 1960s. He died in 1995.

Did the Archdiocese of Newark Know?

There are allegations that the Archdiocese of Newark knew about the abuse reportedly being committed by Martin for years without holding him accountable. Mark Crawford told NorthJersey.com that he first reported to archdiocese officials that Martin was abusing him in 1983. Martin wasn’t removed and in fact, went on to be promoted to the position of personal secretary for then-Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. McCarrick himself was defrocked last year after being accused of sexually abusing children and harassing senior seminarians. Martin was removed from the ministry in 2002.

There may also be reasons to believe the Archdiocese of Newark knew about the abuse of Sudol. NorthJersey.com reports that a woman first accused Sudol of abusing her son in the 1990s. Sudol went on to live at a Jersey City parish with a church-operated school until 2018.

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