NEWARK (NJ)
NorthJersey.com [Woodland Park NJ]
December 23, 2025
By Kaitlyn Kanzler
A former Paramus Catholic student has accused two former employees of sexual assault in the mid-1980s.
The unnamed plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Newark, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, District of North America and Paramus Catholic High School earlier Dec. 17.
The former student claimed that between 1986 and 1989, they were sexually abused by two separate teachers at the school − Donn Ernst and Bernard Garris. The suit said the pair were placed in positions where they had access to children “as an integral part” of their work.
Garris served as Paramus Catholic’s hockey coach while Ersnt was a gym teacher. Garris died in 2016, and Ernst died in 2021. The suit did not provide details about the abuse.
“We do not comment on matters in litigation, “said Maria Margiotta, the executive director of communications and public relations for the Archdiocese of Newark.
Garris and Ernst have been the subject of several lawsuits by former students. By August 2021, at least 11 lawsuits had been filed against Paramus Catholic, saying the school and the archdiocese knew about Garris’ abuse but did nothing to stop it. Garris was named in a 2011 abuse suit, which was later settled for an undisclosed amount.
Another four former students filed a lawsuit that said Garris and Ernst sexually abused them.
The suit said the former student was raised in a devout Roman Catholic household and attended Paramus Catholic High School, participating in “youth activities and/or church activities.” According to the suit, the participation caused the former student to develop “great admiration, trust, reverence and respect for the Roman Catholic Church” and its employees, including Ernst and Garris.
The suit stated Ernst sexually abused the plaintiff when they were 14 through 17 while Garris abused them between the ages of 14 and 15. According to the suit, the former student felt pressured not to report what happened to them because of the church’s culture.
The suit said the plaintiff was left vulnerable because they were a minor and under the care and guidance of Garris and Ernst and was exploited by the pair, who were in a position of power.
The complaint said the church, the brothers and the high school should have known Ernst and Garris were dangerous to children and that they were not fit to work with children.
The lawsuit claimed the defendants additionally should have known there was a high threat of recidivism, that they should have known “[they] had numerous agents who had sexually molested children,” and that there was a risk for child sex abuse for children participating in programs within the archdiocese.
The suit accused the church, the brothers and Paramus Catholic of negligence, negligent training and supervision and negligent retention.
The former student is seeking compensatory damages, attorney fees and the cost of the lawsuit.