WORCESTER (MA)
Courthouse News Service
By ROSE BOUBOUSHIAN
(CN) – An Antiochian priest kicked, bit, slapped, hit with a baseball bat and sexually abused a parishioner during her so-called therapy sessions, she claims in court.
Susan Manter, of Holden, Mass., sued the Rev. Michael Abdelahad, St. George’s Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral of Worcester; three Antiochian Orthodox Christian archdioceses; and 13 individuals associated with those organizations in Worcester Superior Court.
From 2007 to September 2010, Abdelahad, “under the ruse of providing to the plaintiff Susan Manter psychological ‘therapy,’ hit, kicked, bit and slapped the plaintiff in the body and head with his hands, fists, feet, and objects (including a baseball bat), resulting in serious bodily injury,” the complaint states (parentheses in original).
Neither the church nor diocese returned a request for comment.
Manter further alleges that “Abdelahad abused plaintiff physically, emotionally, and sexually” from 2009 to September 2010.
The abuse “typically occurred” in the priest’s church office in Worcester, Manter says.
“Plaintiff sustained broken bones, concussions, and other serious bodily injuries as a result of the physical harm inflicted upon her by defendant Michael Abdelahad, requiring hospitalization, multiple trips to doctors, and multiple trips to dentists,” according to the complaint.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.