RHODE ISLAND
National Catholic Reporter

Jason Berry | Jan. 22, 2014

A Rhode Island federal magistrate judge has given a green light for a man’s lawsuit against the Legion of Christ seeking more than $1 million for the alleged defrauding of his father’s estate.

The case moves forward at the same moment the Legion is gathered in Rome in an effort to reconstitute itself in the aftermath of the scandals of its discredited founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado. For some longtime critics, who originally brought to light widespread corruption within the Legion, the ruling is the latest indication that serious questions remain about the Legion and the Vatican process employed to revive the order.

The suit accuses the Legion of preying on James Boa-Teh Chu and defrauding his son, Paul, of an estate with annuities valued between $1 million and $2 million. The suit seeks $10 million in punitive…