Ex-Maryknoll priest faces sexual abuse allegation in religious order previously cited

ROCKLAND (NY)
Rockland/Westchester Journal News

June 13, 2019

By Frank Esposito

A new filing in New York Supreme Court alleges a former Maryknoll priest in Westchester County abused a young boy for about eight years throughout the 1960s.

But this case is different.

Ralph Gallagher, the victim, took his own life. Now his family is taking action on his behalf.

The alleged perpetrator, Ed Flanagan, a priest who served at the Church of Saint John and Saint Mary in Chappaqua, died in 2016.

Now attorney Barbara Hart, of Lowey Dannenberg in White Plains, is asking for a third party to be brought in to keep track of records and notify other potential victims about the case.

This latest filing on June 7 comes after the February signing of the Child Victims Act. The act provides a one-year, one-time-only period to seek civil action, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.

That window to file opens in August, but this filing asks that the court appoint a special third-party to preserve records and assume other related duties.

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.