Child Victims Act lawsuit accuses Seton basketball coach of abuse in 1970s

By Anthony Borrelli
BinghamtPress & Sun-Bulletin
June 05, 2020

https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/public-safety/2020/06/05/child-victims-act-lawsuit-seton-basketball-coach-vincent-dutkowski/3123095001/

A former Seton Catholic student's lawsuit under New York's Child Victims Act accuses a former basketball coach there of sexually abusing him more than two dozen times in the early 1970s.

The lawsuit filed May 28 in the state Supreme Court of Broome County claims coach Vincent Dutkowski, who died in 2012, used his position to gain the victim's trust and confidence before abusing him.

In 1972, the lawsuit says, the 14-year-old boy enrolled at the former Seton Catholic High School in Endicott. When he was about 14 to 16, he helped out as a ballboy and assistant during basketball practices.

Dutkowski allegedly used those encounters to sexually abuse the teen on approximately 25 occasions and at different locations, including an office and at Dutkowski's home, according to the lawsuit. The victim now resides in California. 

Seton Catholic Central in Binghamton and the former Seton Catholic High School in Endicott are defendants in the lawsuit, along with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. The former Seton Catholic and Catholic Central high schools merged in 1976.

Neither the lawsuit, nor Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin archives, mention whether any criminal charges or investigations were conducted related to the lawsuit's allegations against Dutkowski. The Child Victims Act allows people to bring accusations, regardless of whether charges were ever filed.

Much like similar lawsuits under the Child Victims Act, the May 28 complaint seeks unspecified damages in an amount to be determined in court proceedings, and alleges the institutions — in this case, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse and Seton Catholic Central — were negligent.

The lawsuit, like others, argues the institutions should have had reason to know the accused person posed a danger to commit sexual abuse.

"We thank the brave survivors who have told their stories of abuse in every sector of society," New York State Bishops said in a joint statement concerning the Child Victims Act's passage in 2019. "Their witness has moved us all. We renew our commitment to combatting the monstrous crime of childhood sexual abuse and helping all survivors find recourse and reconciliation as they heal."

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the deadline to file Child Victims Act lawsuits until Jan. 14, 2021.