South Carolina’s Supreme Court is considering whether the Catholic Diocese of Charleston is exempt from paying damages resulting from lawsuits after an anonymous man accused the diocese of covering up his sexual abuse at the hands of two teachers in the 1970s.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed in 2018 against the diocese and the local bishop by an unnamed man from Charleston.
According to the filing, the “John Doe” alleges that two teachers sexually assaulted him in 1970 while he was a student at what was then called Sacred Heart Catholic School.
In his lawsuit, the man asserted claims for relief based on the alleged sexual abuse at the school operated by the respondents named in the complaint.
The diocese has claimed charitable immunity, arguing that under this legal doctrine, it is exempt from having to pay damages based on the conduct of its staff members.
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