Victims File 20 New Child Abuse Suits against North Country Priests

North County Public Radio
July 1, 2020

https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/41798/20200701/victims-file-20-new-child-abuse-suits-against-north-country-priests

St. Mary's Cathedral in Ogdensburg, NY. Photo: James Crowley, Chancellor, Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Jul 01, 2020 — Victims of child sexual abuse have filed 20 more claims against Catholic priests in the Diocese of Ogdensburg, which covers the North Country. The suits were filed under New York’s Child Victims Act by two law firms on behalf of “numerous” people.

They name seven priests publicly for the first time, including clerics who served in Malone, Schroon Lake, Parishville, Potsdam, Dannemora, Lowville, Massena, and Crown Point. They also name three other priests who had been the subjects of previous lawsuits.

The alleged perpetrators worked during various periods between 1961 and 1989.

In a press release, attorney Cynthia LaFave said the suits “will ensure that the future protects children instead of abusers.” The Diocese said in an email to the Watertown Daily Times it “takes all allegations of abuse seriously, and these new allegations will be investigated.”

In February, the Diocese said it was exploring bankruptcy, as it had already faced almost two dozen sexual abuse claims.

The Child Victims Act, passed last year, allows victims to sue no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. The window for cases was set to expire in August, but was extended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

From the press release by the law firms of Jeff Anderson & Associates and LaFave Wein & Frament, the accused clerics include:

Monsignor F. Gordon Coseo, accused of sexually abusing a minor from approximately 1971 to 1976 at Notre Dame in Malone, NY

Father Joseph W. Elliott, accused of sexually abusing a minor from approximately 1985 to 1988 at St. Michael in Parishville, NY and St. Mary in Potsdam, NY

Father George A. Fontaine, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1971 at Our Lady of Lourdes in Schroon Lake, NY

Father Frank M. Kearns, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1965 to 1967 at St. Joseph in Dannemora, NY

Monsignor Joseph F. Luker, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1971 or 1972 at St. Peter in Lowville, NY

Monsignor John F. Pendergast, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1987 to 1989 at St. Mary in Massena, NY

Father Donald E. Seguin, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1961 at Sacred Heart in Crown Point, NY

Four complaints allege abuse by Father Emile G. LaLonde in the 1960s and 1970s when he was assigned to St. John the Baptist in Madrid, NY and St. Augustine in North Bangor, NY. The firms have now filed a total of five cases implicating Father LaLonde.

Four complaints name Father John J. Fallon, who was criminally convicted in connection with receiving child pornography in the mail in 1986. The firms have now filed a total of five cases naming Father Fallon.

Two complaints allege abuse by Father Liam O’Doherty, who was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in 1979 for sexually abusing minors at St. Ann in Saint Regis Falls, NY. One of the complaints filed today alleges abuse dating back to 1966, shortly after Father O’Doherty was ordained a priest. The firms have now filed a total of four complaints implicating Father O’Doherty. His whereabouts are unknown.