MORRISTOWN (NJ)
NorthJersey.com [Woodland Park NJ]
September 9, 2025
By Deena Yellin
Lawyers for both sides gave their opening arguments on Sept. 9 in the lawsuit against Delbarton, the all-boys Catholic school in Morristown, where several former students have come forward with accusations of sex abuse by clergy.
The landmark trial is significant as it’s the first of hundreds of civil sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Church in New Jersey to go to trial. It’s also the first of 39 lawsuits against the prestigious school, where celebrities and other well-heeled parents around North Jersey send their sons to be educated for an annual $48,000 tuition.
Opening statements were delivered at the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown for the case, which was filed by a former student known by the initials T.M., or Tom. He is seeking damages from the institution.
Now in his 60s, T.M. alleges that he was abused by the Rev. Richard Lott, a Benedictine monk at the school in the 1970s. He is also accusing the Order of St. Benedictine — which operates the school — of enabling the abuse.
According to the lawsuit, Lott in 1975 plied the teenager with alcohol and assaulted him in the secluded quarters on campus where the priest lived. The court documents also claim that Lott invited other students to his quarters for parties where he served alcohol and invited them to view pornographic materials.
T.M., dressed in a light blue button-down shirt, was flanked by his attorneys, and had his back toward the courtroom benches, which were packed with press and advocates for abuse victims. He sat across from his alleged abuser, who wore a blue blazer and tightly trimmed goatee.
Lott remained solemn faced as he sat with his legal team across from jurors who will determine what penalties if any will be imposed on both him and the school for T.M.’s alleged suffering.
Alleges culture of abuse and silence
Michael Geibelson, the lead attorney for the plaintiff, delivered a two-hour opening statement focused on what he called a culture of abuse and silence that, he argued, permeated the school in the 1970s. He sketched out a story about a man whose life was “destroyed” by abuse, and said jurors will hear evidence that shows school leaders attempted to protect clerics from accusations of sexual abuse to maintain the school’s prestigious status.
Lott, a monk who was also a chemistry teacher and head of maintenance at Delbarton, was known on campus as a “cool priest,” Geibelson said, adding that Lott provided alcohol to students, took them on trips and showed them pornographic materials.
He also groomed T.M. and eventually assaulted him on New Year’s eve of 1975 in an incident that “destroyed” T.M.’s life, Geibelson said. Lott allegedly brought TM to an off-campus New Year’s eve party, where he plied him with beer and eventually brought him back to the campus, which was deserted for winter break. T.M. was dazed and intoxicated as Lott sexually assaulted him, the attorney said.
Geibelson said T.M. eventually wrote a letter detailing his abuse and sent it to the head of the school, Abott Brian Clarke, who, in a meeting with the student, revealed that Lott confessed to everything, the attorney said. Clarke told T.M. to let him handle it quietly. Yet Clarke never reported Lott to authorities and allowed the instructor to remain on campus, where he allegedly went on to abuse others, the attorney said.
Before he retired, Clarke destroyed T.M.’s letter because he feared it would be found and would harm the school’s reputation, the attorney said.
The attorney listed the ways that the abuse caused suffering in T.M.’s life in the years since, including his inability to trust others, struggle with relationships, loss of religious belief, loss of self-confidence, and loss of sexual functioning. He said T.M. also suffers from PTSD. “This was a highly traumatic event for him by his most trusted mentor and supervisor,” Geibelson said. “It was a massive betrayal.”
Defense attorney calls plaintiff’s claims ‘outrageous’
The defense, which spoke for about half the time as its opponent, stressed the need for the jury to listen critically for solid evidence. James Barletti, the attorney representing the school and order, called the claims made by the plaintiff’s attorney in his opening remarks “outrageous.”
“You need to prove fault” with concrete evidence, including documents and witnesses, he said. For example, “the person T.M. claims hosted the party that evening denies having any party and while T.M. contends there were 30 people present at the party, no witness confirms T.M. being at any party that evening,” Barletti said.
In terms of the damages, the plaintiff was married for 18 years before divorcing and was in the workforce for 40 years, Barletti said. The alleged victim also had repeated contact with Lott over the years, he said.
He added, “Is that what a person would do” if they were abused?
The attorney for Lott, Mark Brancato, also had a short opening statement in which he urged jurors to consider the case only with its evidence. He likened it to pieces of a puzzle that they will assemble. “You will create the puzzle, which is the truth,” he said.
The first witness called by the plaintiff was Charol Shakeshaft, who has a Ph.D, in educational leadership. The defense attorneys questioned her credentials but the judge said she was permitted to testify.
Robert Hoatson of West Orange, a former priest and founder of Road to Recovery, which advocates for clergy abuse survivors, attended the hearing. “Tom is a brave survivor,” Hoatson said. “I’m glad he had the perseverance to follow this case to the end.”
Mark Crawford, who is the New Jersey State Director of SNAP, a survivors network, said he was “happy this day has finally come where a survivor can finally come to court and has his day.
“It shouldn’t have taken this long but it’s a big deal,” Crawford said. “These institutions continue to fight tooth and nail. There’s more to come. After this there are many more cases. This is a new beginning. Long overdue is this day of justice.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Delbarton priest sex abuse case: Lawyers give opening arguments