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  Priest Sex Abuse Alleged in Seattle

United Press International
May 6, 2009

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/06/Priest-sex-abuse-alleged-in-Seattle/UPI-51571241589820/

SEATTLE, May 6 (UPI) -- Four men who say they were sexually abused more than 30 years ago by a priest in Seattle are seeking damages from the Catholic Church.

Unlike most sexual abuse lawsuits involving the church, this one is expected to go to trial, Seattlepi.com reported Tuesday. Jury selection was to begin Wednesday.

The plaintiffs claim that Patrick O'Donnell, who served as parish priest at a Seattle church from 1976 to 1978 came to the city as a known molester after years in the Spokane diocese. In court papers, they say Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen, who headed the Seattle Archdiocese at the time, allowed O'Donnell to resume acting as a priest and put him in charge of a church school after only six weeks in treatment.

Michael Pfau, who is representing one of the plaintiffs, said O'Donnell also received a doctorate in psychology at the University of Washington, writing his thesis on "A Prisoner's Dilemma: Evoking Trust Between Children and Adults."

Most lawsuits have been settled out of court, sometimes in agreements involving scores of plaintiffs and millions of dollars.

 
 

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