LOUISIANA
KATC
Abbeville attorney Tony Fontana made a name for himself representing priest sex abuse victims and their families. A lifelong catholic, Fontana says the lawsuits against the diocese shook the foundation of his church, but not his faith. Now he’s showing support for the current Lafayette priest, whose name surfaced in the latest media reports on the scandal.
When the priest sex-abuse scandal was put back into the spotlight by an investigation by Minnesota Public Radio, so too was newly-discovered evidence, including an affidavit signed by Fontana back in 1995. The statement details what Fontana knew and when. In that affidavit, Fontana brought up a name never before mentioned in the scandal, Father Gilbert Dutel, the current priest at St. Edmond in Lafayette.
“The accusations, had nothing to do with children,” said Fontana. “It had to do with young adults.”
Dutel’s name was also mentioned in a deposition by Bishop Gerard Frey in 1995. Frey said he never heard about any problems with Dutel concerning children, but there was one complaint concerning an adult. Frey said Dutel denied the accusation, and he was “transfered and sent somewhere for treatment.”
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