VERMONT
Lez Get Real
Posted by: Bridgette P. LaVictoire on January 9, 2013.
The legacy of pain and shame created by Catholic Priest Father Edward Paquette is coming to something of a resolution. Paquette was alleged to have molested numerous children and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington was accused of having covered up his crimes.
Lawyer Jerry O’Neill stated that “Many people who have walked away from this diocese because of the way it has treated the survivors.” Among those who sued the Burlington Diocese was a Rutland native who says that Paquette began molesting him at the age of twelve back in 1974. The federal trial was set to start Wednesday morning, but the settlement was reached at the last minute. O’Neill spoke truly saying that “It’s never a win. When you’re sexually molested as a child you never win, no matter how much money you get.”
It is unlikely that there will be any more cases involving Paquette, Alfred Willis or Joseph Dussault, all priests accused of molesting children, and all named in this latest round of lawsuits. According to O’Neill “The reason is because in April 2006 a court released a protective order and all the documents showing that the diocese was knowledgeable about what the priests were doing took place. Six years have passed. That’s the primary statute of limitations.”
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