BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald [Boston MA]
May 22, 2023
By Rick Sobey
Archdiocese of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley has been sued by three alleged sexual abuse victims who claim that Arlington Catholic High School’s former vice principal assaulted the teens last decade.
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented clergy sexual abuse victims for decades, on Monday said he filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the three alleged childhood sexual abuse victims against O’Malley, Bishop Robert Deeley, and Bishop Peter Uglietto.
The three victims allege that they were sexually abused by Steven Biagioni while he was vice principal and an administrator at Arlington Catholic.
The alleged sexual abuse took place at the high school from about 2011 to 2016, when the victims were between 15 and 17 years old.
“Significantly, given that years of the alleged sexual abuse are recent, it is apparent that the Archdiocese of Boston and the Catholic Church are still allowing the sexual abuse of innocent children,” Garabedian said in a statement.
“The cracks in the moral foundation of the Archdiocese of Boston are widespread,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Boston on Monday said they generally do not comment on active litigation.
“That said, we understand that certain of the allegations in this lawsuit were brought to the attention of Arlington Catholic High School in 2016 and were reported to the appropriate law enforcement and child welfare authorities at that time as part of Arlington Catholic’s ongoing commitment to provide a safe environment for young people at the school,” the Archdiocese of Boston spokesperson added.
“The administrator in question was subsequently removed from his position, and personnel from Arlington Catholic and the Archdiocese of Boston cooperated fully with the investigating authorities,” the spokesperson wrote.
The alleged sexual abuse victims were assaulted by Biagioni while they served detentions at Arlington Catholic, according to the lawsuit.
Biagioni forced the victims to wrestle with him and with other boys at the school, they claim.
“On at least six of these occasions when Stephen Biagioni was wrestling with Plaintiff John Doe I as described above, Stephen Biagioni engaged in explicit sexual behavior and lewd and lascivious conduct with Plaintiff John Doe I without Plaintiff John Doe I’s consent and against Plaintiff John Doe I’s will,” the lawsuit reads.
“Including, among other things, Stephen Biagioni rubbing Stephen Biagioni’s penis against Plaintiff John Doe I’s body and forcing Plaintiff John Doe I’s head between Stephen Biagioni’s legs so that Stephen Biagioni’s penis was pressed against Plaintiff John Doe I’s head,” the suit reads.
The church leaders were supposed to “properly supervise employees” to make sure the workers “did not use their positions with the RCAB as a tool for grooming and assaulting vulnerable children.”