UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet
Abuse victim sues Church for £300,000, arguing archbishops ‘vicariously liable’ for priest
07 April 2014 11:30 by Christopher Lamb
A former altar boy who was sexually abused by a priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham has launched a £300,000 compensation claim.
Eamonn Flanagan, 51, has started a legal action against the “personal representatives” of the late Archbishops George Dwyer and Maurice Couve de Murville. The claim has been put in the care of the current Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley.
Mr Flanagan was abused by Fr Samuel Penney between 1975 and 1986 and argues that the deceased archbishops are “vicariously liable” for the priest’s actions. Back in 2012 the Diocese of Portsmouth unsuccessfully argued in the High Court that a diocese should not automatically be held liable for an abusive priest. This ruling has opened the Church up to claims for damages.
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