NEWARK (NJ)
Patch [New York City NY]
August 25, 2025
By Jack Slocum
A lawsuit involving a North Jersey Catholic school is set to be the first civil trial against the Catholic Church in the state.
A case involving Delbarton, a Catholic School in Morristown, regarding allegations of child sex abuse, will take place on Sept. 2 in the Morris County Courthouse.
The case, T.M. v. Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey (OSBNJ), will be the first clergy sexual abuse lawsuit to go to trial in New Jersey against the Catholic Church. It is the first of nearly 40 pending abuse cases involving the all-boys school and its church affiliates.
The case’s plaintiff, named only as “T.M.” for privacy purposes, claims that he was sexually abused by Father Richard Lott as a 15-year-old Delbarton student in the 1970s. Lott served as a Benedictine monk, teacher, and supervisor of student workers in Delbarton’s maintenance department.
T.M. added that he was abused by the clergyman in his secluded residence on campus, where Lott allegedly “groomed other boys by providing pornography, alcohol, and illicit substances.” According to court documents, other Delbarton administrators knew about the “illicit substances” being given to students, but no action was taken.
“OSBNJ increasingly granted Lott a significant amount of freedom that enabled him to groom and sexually abuse (T.M.) Despite having the right to control Lott in each of his roles at St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton, OSBNJ chose not to impose any limits on his place of residence, responsibilities, or the boundaries of his relationships with students,” the suit claims. “This freedom included the head of OSBNJ expressly granting Lott permission to move his residence to a secluded, private barn away from where other monks lived. It was at this barn, with no supervision, that he fostered inappropriate relationships with numerous students and sexually abused (T.M.)… By providing Lott with such a broad scope of authority and independence, OSBNJ aided him in his sexual abuse of (T.M.) and is thus vicariously liable for (T.M.’s) harm.”
T.M. reported the abuse to Abbot Brian Clarke, who later admitted to destroying the complaint and never contacting police, according to court documents. While Clarke died in 2019, Delbarton’s gymnasium was named after him. Lott was fired from Delbarton for “unlawful absence,” but remains an ordained priest today.
In 2018, Delbarton admitted that at least 30 students had come forward with sexual abuse allegations that took place between 1968 and 1999.
New Jersey’s Child Victims Act went into effect from 2019 to 2021, allowing people to file civil claims of sexual abuse even when the abuse exceeded the statute of limitations. Six more Delbarton alumni, in addition to T.M., came forward with their stories, prompting more lawsuits.
According to court documents, T.M. alleges personal injury claims as a result of the childhood sex abuse, including physical, emotional, and/or psychiatric injuries, as well as PTSD, depression, loss of Catholic faith, and much more.
T.M. is represented by Robins Kaplan LLP, a New York-based law firm.
The Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey is represented by Gold, Albanese & Barletti, LLC, a Morristown-based law firm.
While neither party is permitted to discuss the current litigation, Delbarton representatives issued the following joint statement from St. Mary’s Abbey Administrator Abbot Jonathan Licari and Delbarton School Headmaster Michael Tidd to address the dozens of allegations:
“Regarding recent news reports to the contrary, please note that both St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School are accredited by Praesidium, an independent risk management organization that audits procedures to ensure a safe environment. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the young people entrusted to our care, and we aggressively adhere to rigorous standards to ensure their well-being.”
Delbarton representatives also shared links to St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School Safe Environment sites to learn more about “how both institutions protect the safety and welfare of St. Mary’s Abbey worshipers and guests, and of Delbarton School students and staff.”
Continue to check Patch for updates regarding T.M.’s case and future cases involving Delbarton.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story featured quotes from a Robins Kaplan LLP press release that was published in 2020. The quotes were replaced with excerpts from official court documents.