The Corpus Christi Diocese of the Catholic Church has reportedly been named as a defendant in two Catholic church sexual abuse lawsuits filed under the recently enacted Arizona HB 2466.

The Arizona Mirror reports that both cases concern abuse by a priest, Father Clement A. Hageman, that allegedly occurred in the 1960s. According to one of the complaints, the Diocese knew of problems with the priest as early as 1939 when the bishop was informed of an allegation of abuse.

According to the Arizona Caller Times, Hagerman was ordained in 1930 in Indianapolis. He was included on a list of “credible” claims of sexual abuse issued by a Texas diocese in 2019. He was also the subject of a 2010 lawsuit that alleged he sexually abused boys at the Diocese of Corpus Christi in the 1930s and was removed in 1930. Hagerman reportedly died in 1975.

Survivors Say Church Knew of Pedophile Priest

The two new lawsuits filed against the Arizona diocese allege that church officials knew of reports that Hagerman sexually abused boys, but allowed the priest to serve rural Catholic parishes in Arizona from 1942 until his death in 1975.

One of the lawsuits points to a correspondence sent between bishops that reveals church officials knew Hagerman was “guilty of playing with boys.” Despite these concerns, the priest was put in a position where he would have access to children.

“Defendants knew or should have known that Defendants had numerous agents who had sexually molested children,” alleges the lawsuit. “Defendants knew or should have known that child molesters have a high rate of recidivism.”

According to the complaint, Hagerman worked as a priest in the following parishes in Arizona:

• 1942 to 1953: Administrator, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Holbrook, Ariz.
• 1953 to 1963: Administrator, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Kingman, Ariz.
• 1964 to 1965: Administrator, Mission Churches of Mayer, AZ and Camp Verde, Ariz.
• 1965 to 1975 (death): Administrator, Madre de Dios Catholic Church, Winslow, Ariz.

Priest Trusted by Parishioners

The lawsuit says that those who attended churches where Hagerman served were not warned about his behavior.

“Defendant Corpus Christi authorized and approved of Father Clement Hageman’s placement at various Catholic parishes where he served as a Roman Catholic priest and in positions of trust where he had access to and worked with children as an integral part of his work,” alleges the lawsuit.

The anonymous plaintiff says that while Hagerman worked at St. Joseph’s Mission Catholic Church in Mayer, Ariz., he gained the trust of the plaintiff and his family. In 1964, when the plaintiff was 11 years old, he says he was sexually abused by the priest.

The plaintiff alleges that, at the time of the abuse, the culture of the Catholic Church created pressure for him not to report the abuse.

“By assigning Father Clement Hageman leadership positions, educational positions, and other assignments, the Bishop of Corpus Christi represented to Catholics, non-Catholics and the public, including Plaintiff and his family that Father Clement Hageman had the requisite moral, spiritual, emotional and intellectual qualities to serve as a teacher, religious educator, minister, spiritual guide, priest and or administrator at St. Joseph’s Mission Catholic Church and/or as a representative and agent of the Diocese of Corpus Christi,” contends the complaint.

State Law Allows Survivors More Time to File

Arizona HB 2466 is a state law that allows survivors of sexual abuse to file claims against their abusers and those complicit in the abuse far longer than under previous laws. Indeed, the plaintiffs that filed the two lawsuits reported by the Arizona Mirror allege they experienced the abuse in the 1960s.

According to the Mirror, the law has opened a temporary window in which survivors of child sexual abuse who are over 30 years old have until Dec. 31, 2020 to file a claim. Previously, the state only allowed victims of child sexual abuse until the age of 20 to file a lawsuit – a step many survivors say they were not ready to face at such a young age.

The passage of the bill reportedly broke a budget impasse. It was unanimously passed by Arizona legislatures, reported the Mirror, and ended the state’s reputation as one of the worst with regard to child sex abuse lawsuits.

One of the Corpus Christi Diocese Lawsuits is Doe v. The Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, et al., Case No. unknown, in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona In and For the County of Maricopa.

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