Three recent Catholic sex abuse cases have been filed claiming California Catholic high schools covered up the abuse of students at the hands of school officials. The lawsuits come on the eve of a new state law that gives victims of sexual abuse additional time to file civil lawsuits against their abusers.

Two former students at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., claim that they were assaulted by faculty. One plaintiff says that former Monsignor Michael Harris, who served as a principal at Mater Dei and later Santa Margarita Catholic High School, abused him while the man was a Mater Dei student in the 1980s. According to The Orange County Register, this is not the first time Harris has been accused of sexual assault.

The newspaper reported that both the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Archdiocese of Orange previously reached settlements with others who had accused the monsignor of sexual assault. He has never been charged, and previously denied the allegations. He left the priesthood some 20 years ago, according to The Orange County Register.

The second Mater Dei plaintiff has accused Bernie Balsis, a former campus counselor, of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s, when she was 15 years old.

In a separate lawsuit filed against St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge, a former student there claimed that the Rev. Christopher Kearney of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, “systematically sexually assaulted” the former student. According to the plaintiff’s attorney, the sexual abuse took place “under the auspices of disciplinary ‘wrestling.’” Kearney was assigned to St. Francis High School from 1970 to 1995, according to the newspaper.

St. Francis High School is not run by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, says the Register, but by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin,which is independent from the archdiocese.

These recent Catholic sex abuse cases were filed just days before a new law — the California Child Victims Act — goes into effect which extends the period of time adult victims of childhood sexual assault can file lawsuits against their alleged abusers. 

California previously allowed victims to file civil claims for childhood sexual assault up to age 26, but now gived these victims to file such lawsuits until age 40, reports The Sacramento Bee. Additionally, adult survivors who recently discovered that they were sexually abused will have five years to file a California Child Victims Act lawsuit, even if the person is older than 40.

The law was passed in light of widespread allegations of abuse and cover up by institutions including the Catholic Church. Now, dioceses in California and around the country must grapple with these allegations in the form of lawsuits, settlements, and reporting of abuse.

The Orange County Register notes that the California dioceses are attempting to deal with the sexual assault allegations by setting up a compensation fund for victims of clergy sexual abuse. The funds will allow victims to settle claims without filing a lawsuit, but victims who receive benefits will be barred from filing legal claims. 

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