$800,000 Sex Abuse by Clergy
This case involved a young man who had been repeatedly sexually abused by a defrocked, former Greek-Orthodox priest. This priest, who had established his own “stand alone” church, had lured the vulnerable youngster into his midst with promises of menial work at the church. A suit was brought against the priest and his church. The defendant priest fled the country prior to his deposition. One of the biggest challenges in the case involved proving that the church trustees knew or should have known about the priest’s pedophile tendencies. The other challenge involved defeating the separate suit brought by the church’s insurance company which claimed that its coverage did not extend to acts of molestation by a priest. While these issues were being litigated, the church, its insurance company, and our client agreed to proceed to mediation where the case was settled for $800,000.