ROSELLE (NJ)
NJ.com [Iselin, NJ]
November 4, 2026
By Jeff Goldman
A former student at Roselle Catholic High School has sued the Archdiocese of Newark and the school, claiming she was repeatedly sexually abused by a Roselle Catholic teacher who later served time in prison for abusing girls at another Catholic school.
The woman, who is now 26, alleges the abuse started around 2018, when she was 17, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Essex County.
Roselle Catholic High School directed NJ.com’s inquiry to the Archdiocese of Newark, which declined to comment on the suit on the school’s behalf.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on a matter in litigation,” a spokeswoman for the archdiocese said.
The suit says the Archdiocese of Newark was aware or should have been aware that Carlos Franco-Leon, now 49, resigned from his position as a teacher and volleyball coach at Morris Catholic High School after being accused of sexually abusing two female students between 2016 and 2018. He was a married father of two at the time.
Franco-Leon was also accused of sexually abusing a girl when he worked atImmaculate Conception High Schoolin Montclair prior to his time at Morris Catholic, according to the lawsuit.
Roselle Catholic hired Franco-Leon shortly after he left Morris Catholic.
The plaintiff alleges Franco-Leon sexually abused her at least five times, including fondling her over and under her clothing, kissing her and forcing her to touch him.
Franco-Leon also allegedly sent her lewd photographs and videos of himself through Snapchat and asked her for nude photographs of herself.
The alleged incidents took place in a locker room inside Roselle Catholic High School, a calculus classroom, a hallway near science classrooms and a hallway near an equipment room. Another allegedly took place after Franco-Leon convinced the girl to drive him from school to a train station.
Prior to Franco-Leon’s arrival at Roselle Catholic, one of the Morris Catholic students reported him to an administrator. School officials then reported the allegations to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office charged Franco-Leon in 2020 and he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to state Department of Corrections records. Franco-Leon was sentenced to six years in state prison in March 2022 and was released earlier this year, on Feb. 19.
Franco-Leon was suspended from his job at Roselle Catholic after he was charged in 2020.