CALIFORNIA
KABC
[with video]
By Rob Hayes
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A lawsuit has been filed against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and a priest, claiming he sexually abused a woman at American Martyrs Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach.
Catherine Bergin claims Father Nicholas Assi sexually abused her last spring at the church.
“He pressed his belly against my back. He pushed me against the counter. He put his hand under my shirt, moving down my pants,” she said.
Bergin and her attorney have filed a lawsuit against Assi and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She said the church is once again trying to hide sexual abuse problems, in this case by transferring Assi to a different parish – St. Basil’s Church in Koreatown.
“It’s hypocrisy. They act like everything is fine. It’s not. When something like this happens, they turn their backs,” Bergin said.
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