Under a new California law, the children of a deceased man who said he was molested as a child by a priest have sued the Roman Catholic church. Lawyers representing the children of the late Jim Bartko filed the lawsuit last week in Alameda County…
Last August, something unprecedented occurred in the state of Louisiana. The Legislature and the Governor acted in the interests of its citizenry and against the interests of the powerful Catholic Church. Governor John Bel Edwards has signed legislation removing deadlines for Louisiana’s child sex abuse…
Less than one day remains for victims to file lawsuits for old sex abuse cases in New Jersey. Under the 2019 Child Victim’s Act, survivors of child sexual abuse in New Jersey were given the opportunity to file a civil claim against the individual who…
Under the 2019 Child Victim’s Act, survivors of child sexual abuse in New Jersey now have the opportunity to file a civil claim against the individual who hurt them and the institutions responsible, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. But under this legislation…
If you were sexually abused as a child in New Jersey – regardless of your age today – the time is running out to take legal action. Under the 2019 Child Victim’s Act, survivors of child sexual abuse in New Jersey have the opportunity to…
In 2002, Fr. Honesto Bayranta Bismonte was arrested for sexually molesting two little girls more than 50 times since. Bismonte attempted to defend himself by claiming it was a misunderstanding caused by cultural differences. But in 2003 he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and was…
If things are bad in the United States for the Catholic Church (think California, New York, and New Jersey), they aren’t as bad as in Poland and France. Both countries witnessed the publication of comprehensive abuse reports that quantified the sexual abuse of children by…
The most recent period of scandal involving Catholic clergy and the sexual abuse of minors began after the reporting of the Boston Globe in 2002. The daily barrage of investigative articles on numerous priests of the Archdiocese of Boston engaging in criminal abuse of children…
Last week, the former prince of the Catholic Church, Theodore McCarrick appeared in a Dedham MA criminal court room to answer charges that he had sexually molested a minor boy 50 years ago. As expected, he pled not guilty. The presiding judge ordered $5,000 bail,…
This week, criminal charges were filed against disgraced and defrocked Theodore McCarrick for incidents that began in 1974 in Massachusetts. The sexual abuse of the then 16-year-old began at a wedding reception in Massachusetts where the survivor lived with his family. McCarrick faces 3 counts…
