The FBI has launched an investigation into Louisiana’s New Orleans archdiocese over sex abuse allegations, according to a new report. Among other things, the agency is looking at whether Catholic priests took children across state lines to molest them. Historically, the FBI rarely gets involved in clergy sex abuse scandals. This new criminal investigation may represent a change in the way the United States government handles clergy sex abuse. The Archdiocese of New Orleans already faces many allegations of priests abusing children. In 2020, it filed for bankruptcy, citing the number of abuse l ..read more

In November 2021, Ohio courts concluded the trial of former Cleveland priest Robert McWilliams. Judge Sara Lioi sentenced McWilliams to life in prison. The court charged him with child exploitation and pornography. He committed child sexual abuse online as well as in-person. Three survivors and their families were in the courtroom for McWilliams’ sentencing. Unfortunately, given his online abusive activity, the total number of victims abused by McWilliams is currently unknown. In February 2022, McWilliams took his own life at Allenwood Federal Prison in Pennsylvania. Robert McWilliams is one o ..read more

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse seeking legal action against their abuser may be limited by the applicable statute of limitations (SOL). A statute of limitations sets a deadline for legal action after an injury or crime. It can take survivors many years to work through their trauma and reach a place in which they are able to pursue legal action. Additionally, due to the long-term effects of child sex abuse, many survivors do not become aware of injury caused by their abuse until years later. In some cases, survivors even repress their memories of abuse for many years. Because of this longe ..read more

The Diocese of Portland substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse against two former priests. On January 21, 2022, the diocese announced the findings in a press release on its website. The two priests now facing substantiated allegations include Eugene Descombes and Renald Hallee. Eugene Descombes Eugene Descombes was a Canadian priest with the Archdiocese of Québec. During the summers Descombes served in Maine. In 1950, according to the allegations, he abused a minor during a trip to Canada. Descombes died in 1980. Renald Hallee Renald Hallee was accused of sexually abusing a high s ..read more

Vermont’s Catholic Diocese of Burlington is facing a new priest abuse lawsuit. In May 2021, Christopher Silletti, age 49, sued the diocese for its role in his childhood sexual abuse. According to the lawsuit, Silleti was abused by the former priest Leo Courcy. The lawsuit further accuses the Diocese of Burlington of making “a purposeful effort to conceal the horrific misdeeds of Diocesan priests.” The Diocese of Burlington has faced multiple clergy abuse lawsuits and paid millions in settlements. Priest abuse survivors continue to come forward to find legal justice and compensation. Abused b ..read more

The family of deceased abuse survivor Jim Bartko has filed a priest abuse lawsuit against the Diocese of Oakland. The lawsuit, filed on Bartko’s behalf, accuses Catholic priest Stephen Kiesle of child sexual abuse. It is among the latest lawsuits filed amidst a decades-long history of priest abuse in the Catholic Church. In 2020, Bartko filed his own lawsuit during California’s three-year “look back” window. It was dismissed when he died four days later. Now, Bartko’s children are using a new California law, Senate Bill 447 (SB 447), to seek justice on behalf of their father. Senate Bill 447 ..read more

In November 2021, Nebraska’s attorney general’s office released a report about clergy sexual abuse in the state’s Catholic dioceses. The report details 258 cases of sexual abuse by clergy members in Nebraska. A product of a three-year investigation, the report identifies 57 abusers. Yet, none of the accused will face prosecution due to the state’s statute of limitations. “The most troubling finding from the report is the fact that on numerous occasions when there was an opportunity to bring justice to the victims, those in authority chose to place the reputation of the church above the prote ..read more

In July 2021, a survivor filed a priest abuse lawsuit against the bishop of the Diocese of Manchester. The lawsuit accuses Bishop Peter Labasci, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire, of sexually abusing the plaintiff as a teenage boy. According to the lawsuit, Labasci reportedly abused the survivor while serving as a priest in the New York Diocese of Rockville Centre. Were You Abused by a Catholic Priest? You May Have Rights to Legal Compensation Start Here Survivor Files Lawsuit For Abuse & Negligence The unnamed survivor filed the lawsuit on July 14, 2021. In the l ..read more

In December 2021, the Archdiocese of Seattle finalized five church abuse settlements with survivors. According to the survivors’ allegations, the incidents of sexual abuse occurred in the 1960s and the 1970s. The five settlements paid by the archdiocese total more than $3 million. These settlements are five of nearly 250 abuse settlements paid by the Archdiocese of Seattle since 2006. Archdiocese Settles 5 Sexual Abuse Claims On December 10, 2021, the Archdiocese of Seattle announced five abuse settlements totaling $3,035,000. Two of the five claims involved abuse by a diocesan priest, Father ..read more

The Diocese of Fall River released a list of 75 clergy members with credible or public allegations of sexual abuse against minors. The list is the result of a two-year review of sexual abuse allegations against priests associated with the diocese. The Massachusetts diocese first announced this review of sexual abuse allegations in 2019.  Update: In December 2021, the diocese added three more priests to its list of accused clergy members. Read more here > Review Of Fall River Diocese’s Sexual Abuse Allegations The Fall River Diocese’s list was released after a five-phase review proces ..read more