MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Friday, Jan. 8, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy, director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
Two women have settled abuse lawsuits – totaling $282,000 – against the Jesuits and an ex-professor and priest at Fordham University because he abused them. The predator also taught at Georgetown University in Washington DC and became the president of St. Louis University in Missouri (All three are Jesuit institutions.)
And one of the cases is only the second of its type anywhere. It could open the door to more cases against Catholic officials. It charges that Jesuits violated a contract they made with the victim to keep the predator priest out of public ministry.
These highly unusual abuse and breach of contract lawsuits are very encouraging. We hope and believe other victims will start using this tactic. (More on this below.)
We applaud both of these women for their courage, their persistence and their concern for others who may be hurt or betrayed by Jesuits.
–The first victim, “Jane Doe MB”
In this just-settled “breach” Fr. Daniel O’Connell “was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old college student in 1983,” according to the New York Times. (She now lives in New York.)
In 2003, Jesuit officials “found the accusation credible,” paid her $181,000 settlement and agreed to remove O’Connell “from a teaching post at another Jesuit institution” and bar him “from public ministry” or any activity in which he could develop a relationship with a woman.
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.