A man has filed a lawsuit against his childhood Roman Catholic Diocese in Pennsylvania, claiming that he was victimized by sexually abusive priests in the 1960s.

Plaintiff Donald A. grew up in Milton, Pa., and attended the St. Joseph Church. According to Donald, he was repeatedly tormented by sexually abusive priests starting when he was 9 years old.

Donald claims that Reverends Raymond Dougherty and Walter Sempko were able to use their positions within the church to gain private information about him and his family, in order to manipulate and groom him.

Donald claims that at the age of 9, he began to attend regular altar boy training sessions that had a party-like atmosphere, with altar wine, alcohol, and cigarettes. In addition to the abuse that Donald claims he suffered at these training sessions, he also alleges that once he was established as altar boy, the abuse continued for approximately 3 years. According to Donald and reported by the Daily Item, “This is one of the most difficult experiences of my life.”

Donald filed his lawsuit against the Harrisburg Diocese, current Harrisburg Bishop Ronald Gainer, and former Harrisburg leader Bishop Kevin Rhoades after allegedly turning down a settlement offer of $176,800 from the church’s victim compensation fund.

Although Donald, at 67, is too old to file a lawsuit due to the statute of limitations, his suit may have found a loophole to this law by claiming that the Church violated a “confidential relationship.” In his lawsuit accusing the Harrisburg Diocese and both bishops of conspiracy and fraud, Donald is seeking a jury trial and legal damages.

Aid for Catholic Church Sex Abuse Victims

Victims of sexually abusive priests affiliated with the Catholic Church may be able to seek justice and pursue compensation through a variety of avenues. Approximately a dozen states including New York and New Jersey have updated their sexual abuse statutes of limitations, allowing victims longer to pursue accountability from their abusers as a result of the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal.

Additionally, many states that have updated their statute of limitations laws have also opened one year windows where victims whose cases have previously expired are able to file lawsuits against their abusers.

In addition to the new laws, many Catholic Church Dioceses have also established victim compensation funds. Victims of sexually abusive priests may file their complaints and claims with these funds in an effort to pursue compensation.

These claims are reviewed by a third party and evaluated against lists of credibly accused priests. While victims who file claims with victim compensation funds may be offered settlements of hundreds of thousands of dollars, these sums are generally less than what victims may hope to receive through jury trials.

Additionally, victims who accept settlement offers from the Catholic Church must agree not to pursue further legal or civil action against the church or individual clergy members, in exchange for the financial award.

Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic Church clergy members may be able to pursue class action lawsuits against their abusers or seek financial awards from victim compensation funds, but most will be unable to follow both paths towards justice.

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