FLORIDA
ABC 7
The Diocese of Venice is being sued for $5 million over a case of sexual abuse.
The suit filed Tuesday morning is related to former diocese volunteer Robert Little, 74, who was convicted of molesting a mentally disabled 13-year-old boy last year.
Little worked at St. Francis Xavier Church and lived in a church-owned property when the abuse happened.
The Diocese of Venice in Florida noted in a statement released Tuesday that: “The incident did not take place on the property of St. Francis Xavier Parish or that of the Diocese of Venice.”
The suit claims the church knew of Robert Little’s past abuse allegations and covered them up, which the Diocese of Venice in Florida denies.
“At no time either prior to or since the arrest of Mr. Robert Little did the Diocese of Venice or the Parish receive any complaint of an assault by Mr. Little as alleged in the complaint. This is despite a public request by the Diocese of Venice and the Parish for anyone to come forward to report incidents of abuse to law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families,” said the Diocese in its statement Tuesday.
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.