NEW YORK
NBC New York
A 20-year-old Long Island woman is suing a Roman Catholic priest, his Diocese and the parish he worked for over alleged sexual abuse she suffered when she was 8 years old.
The lawsuit also alleges the Diocese of Rockville Centre failed to alert families to known allegations of sexual abuse against dozens of its priests over the years and allowed many of them, including the plaintiff’s alleged abuser, the Rev. Gregory Yacyshyn, to continue working in positions with access to children.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family, regularly celebrated Mass and participated in church-related activities, and therefore, “came to admire, trust, revere, and respect” Yacyshyn, who allegedly used his position of authority to abuse her around 2003. His attorney denied the accusations Wednesday.
Yacyshyn was reassigned to St. Patrick’s of Bay Shore, within the same Diocese, shortly after the alleged abuse and before the plaintiff’s parents were aware of it, the lawsuit says. Once the girl’s parents learned of the allegations, they told law enforcement and the Diocese, who allowed Yacyshyn to “remain as a priest of the Diocese in good standing with access to children,” according to the lawsuit.
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