Article Title
West Virginia AG’s suit: Catholic diocese employed predatory priests
Link to Article: https://www.dailyitem.com/news/west-virginia-ag-s-suit-catholic-diocese-employed-predatory-priests/article_6cbd982e-4a98-11e9-a61d-8ba15893332f.html
Source: Register-Herald
Author(s): Erin Beck
Date: March 19, 2019
Synopsis of / Excerpts from Article
West Virginia’s Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, filed a consumer protection lawsuit (on March 19, 2019) against the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston — and former Bishop Michael Bransfield. The suit alleges that the Diocese employed predatory priests while falsely advertising a safe environment at Catholic schools and camps.
Morrisey is arguing the Diocese violated the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act. According to him, “Every parent who pays a tuition for a service falling under our consumer protection laws deserves to know that their schools, that their children are attending are safe.”
According to the article:
“In 2014, David Clohessy, director of the St. Louis chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), had called on Bransfield to warn parishioners about a potentially predatory priest in West Virginia. Bransfield remained silent. Clohessy said Morrisey’s lawsuit was welcome because ‘real change won’t come from within’ the Catholic Church.”
“The lawsuit accuses three bishops and the Diocese of knowingly employing admitted sexual abusers, hiring priests without adequate background checks, hiring priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of children, and hiring lay employees without adequate background checks. It lists several cases that Morrisey called examples of a pattern of behavior.”
“West Virginia’s consumer protection law has a four year statute of limitations for monetary damages. So instead, Morrisey is asking for non-monetary ‘equitable’ relief.”