A number of former youth members of churches within the Diocese of Trenton have filed lawsuits against the diocese and former clergy members.

At least 10 plaintiffs have filed civil action lawsuits with the Mercer County Superior Court where the diocese will face their allegations of negligence, which purportedly allowed years of sexual abuse to be ignored.

Diocese Names Accused Clergy Members

The Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal continues to unfold in the Diocese of Trenton, as years of allegations and investigations culminate in legal action. In 2019, the diocese named 31 priests and deacons who had been “credibly accused” of committing child sexual abuse. The Diocese of Trenton joined other dioceses in the state in directing people who were sexually abused as minors to seek restitution through the New Jersey Independent Victim Compensation Program, according to The Trentonian.

The creation of the specific fund has been criticized by attorneys and sexual abuse survivors as a cheap alternative to what the Church would most likely be held to pay through the court system.

Francis M. McGrath,69, is a former Trenton Diocese priest at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Hamilton and was a teacher at Trenton Catholic Academy when it was still known as McCorristin Catholic High School. McGrath has been named in at least two pending cases, and the diocese removed him from the ministry after he was found to be credibly accused of sexual abuse by several victims.

In 1983, McGrath allegedly molested a 17-year-old boy four times, and all of the assaults occurred in McGrath’s rectory bedroom at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. He also allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted an 11-year-old altar boy in 1978 on many occasions.

A former chaplain for Notre Dame High School, Douglas Hermansen was commonly known as Father Doug. Before becoming an ordained priest in 1979, Hermansen allegedly sexually abused an altar boy in 1975 when the boy was 15 years old. Now removed from ministry, Hermansen stands accused of sexually assaulting the boy more than 100 times, according to the lawsuit filed in Mercer County Superior Court.

Perpetrators Can’t Escape Responsibility Through Death

A former Notre Dame High School teacher, the late Frank Iazetta, is named as a credibly accused sexual abuser in four different lawsuits. Iazetta allegedly sexually abused minors throughout the 1970s, and one girl was as young as seven years old. Iazette died in 2007, but the diocese could still be sued for allegedly allowing the abuse to continue.

In New York, where the state enacted the Child’s Victim Act last year, another former priest at the Trenton Diocese is named in a lawsuit despite the fact the man died in 2001. The late Rev. J. Gregory Mulhall is named in a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff who claims to be a victim of sexual abuse by Mulhall when the victim was about 12 years old. At the time, Mulhall was with the Albany Diocese.

Mulhall served at the Trenton Diocese for three years and at the Albany Diocese for 21 years. He died in 2001.

Diocese of Trenton Current Stand on Abuse

According to the diocese’s website, the Trenton Diocese has set up an abuse hotline and email address for people to support sexual abuse of minors by any member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic church. The complainant/victim should hear from the Diocesan Response Officer within 24 hours of making the complaint.

The diocese also says allegations of sexual abuse are reported to law enforcement, and the diocese encourages anyone with allegations of sexual abuse to contact local law enforcement authorities themselves.

After the diocese contacts the authorities, the Diocesan Victims’ Assistance Coordinator will reach out to the complainant/victim. The Diocesan Review Board evaluates the allegations and sends all findings to the Bishop.

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