Apuron Files Response, Saying Sex Abuse Allegations Filed Past Time Limit

Guam Daily Post
April 5, 2017

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/apuron-files-response-saying-sex-abuse-allegations-filed-past-time/article_31004c06-19bb-11e7-a86d-3f9718b8f162.html

APURON: The image on the left is believed to be a photo of Archbishop Anthony Apuron in Fairfield, California, taken in January by a private investigator working for some of the plaintiffs in the child sex abuse cases against Apuron. The photo on the right shows Apuron when he was still leading the Archdiocese of Agana. Photo courtesy of Attorney David Lujan

Archbishop Anthony Apuron, whose administrative authority has been removed in light of decades-old sex-abuse allegations, today filed court papers asking for some of the cases to be dismissed.

Apuron's motion to dismiss states, in part, that the allegations of sex abuse filed by former altar boys against Apuron are past the legal time limit to file cases.

Apuron filed his motion in his personal capacity. The motion was filed on his behalf by Attorney Jacqueline Terlaje.

The passage of Guam Public Law 33-187 last year cannot be applied to allegations that occurred before the law was passed, the motion to dismiss states, in part.

"This motion seeks the dismissal of plaintiff's claims against defendant Apuron on the basis that the plaintiff's cause of action was not revived by the passage of Public Law 33-187," according to the motion for one of the plaintiffs.

"Moreover, a blanket retrospective removal of all statutes of limitations is unconstitutional," the motion to dismiss states for one of the cases.

Apuron was last seen in January in a county in California near San Francisco.

A Vatican tribunal was sent to Guam about a month ago to talk to some of the accusers of Apuron.