Sex Abuse Victims Seek $30m

By Neil Pang
Guam Daily Post
January 26, 2017

http://www.postguam.com/news/local/sex-abuse-victims-seek-m/article_98de4470-e2cc-11e6-aa8a-27e9c6c0c7e4.html

Six of the 15 sexual abuse cases filed in the local court against former Guam priests and the Archdiocese of Agana have been moved to the federal court in Guam, the attorney for the alleged victims confirmed Wednesday.

Attorney Gloria Rudolph said the six civil cases filed in the U.S. District Court of Guam are for Norman Aguon, Anthony Vegafria, James Bascon, Leo Tudela, Bruce Diaz and Vicente Perez. Each of the six has accused Rev. Louis Brouillard – who is no longer a priest in Guam – of sexual abuse.

The cases for these men, who said they were young children when allegedly sexually abused, haven’t found a judge who would hear their cases in the Superior Court of Guam. Several judges have recused themselves because of conflicts or potential conflicts of interest.

“We expect to find a judge in District Court who will hear our cases,” Rudolph said.

The federal cases request for a jury trial and a minimum of $5 million in damages for each of the men.

The cases also argue that the jurisdiction for these cases goes beyond the local court because the Archdiocese of Agana is an extension of the seat of the Catholic Church leadership at the Vatican, in Rome.

Then-Archbishop Anthony Apuron and insurance companies that may have provided or provide coverage for lawsuits against the church are also named defendants.

The following alleged victims now are pursuing their lawsuit in the federal court:

Norman Aguon, 56, accused Rev. Louis Brouillard of sexually molesting him as a child between 1969 and 1973 when he was an altar boy at the Malojloj parish. Aguon was between the ages of 13 and 17 when the abuse occurred;

Anthony Vegafria, 56, accused Brouillard of sexual abuse while he was an altar boy at the Malojloj parish in the 1970s when he was 12 to 15 years old;

James Bascon, 60, accused Brouillard of sexual abuse while he was an altar boy at the Malojloj parish between 1968 to 1969 when he was 12 to 13 years old;

Leo Tudela, 73, accused Brouillard of sexually abusing him when he was an altar boy at the Mangilao rectory in the late 1950s, and was around 13 years old at the time;

Bruce Diaz, 47, accused Brouillard of sexually molesting him about four times a week while he was an altar boy at the Barrigada parish between 1976 and 1980. He was 8 years old when he met Brouillard;and

Vicente Perez, 51, accused Brouillard of sexually abusing him between 1976 and 1980 while he was an altar boy at the Barrigada parish. He was around 11 years old at the time.

In each of the suits accusing Brouillard, the plaintiffs alleged that the abuse happened both on parish grounds, where Brouillard ministered during the various time periods, and during outings led by Brouillard of the local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America.