News & Events

May 13, 2019: Clergy Abuse Survivors Sue Vatican, Seek Release of 3,400 Perpetrator Names

Our law firm is launching a bold action against the Vatican designed to disclose and disgorge all the names of all the offenders that only they know – thousands of offenders and the histories behind them, including offenders who are involved in cover-up and are still at large, such as Archbishop John Nienstedt, Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Apuron and other top officials.  It is also on behalf of five courageous survivors, three of whom have never been public because they were abused by Curtis Wehmeyer and concealed by Archbishop Nienstedt, who is still at large and given license to cont…

May 02, 2019: California Bishops Seek to Overturn Court’s Ruling Granting Abuse Survivor’s Right to Proceed with Nuisance Case

(Los Angeles, CA) – Notices of Appeal have been filed by Defendants The California Catholic Conference, Inc., The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles, and The Roman Catholic Bishop of San Diego seeking to overturn Honorable Michelle Williams Court’s April 17, 2019 order allowing a sexual abuse survivor’s nuisance lawsuit to proceed. This attempt to stifle the courageous action brought by Tom Emens, on behalf of children and survivors of abuse across the State, to eliminate the ongoing harm and threat of childhood sexual abuse by clerics is a blatant attempt to silence survivors and keep …

May 01, 2019: Settlement Reached in Diocese of Duluth Bankruptcy Case

(Duluth, MN) – A settlement has been reached in the Diocese of Duluth bankruptcy case, which involves 125 claimants who were sexually abused as children by clergy and others in the Diocese.The Diocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (“Creditors Committee”), comprised of clergy sexual abuse survivors, have reached an agreement in principle toward a resolution of the bankruptcy. The settlement calls for payment of approximately $40 million to the 125 sexual abuse claimants. The Diocese will also be required to release secret files on 37 priests it has classified as credibly…

Apr 26, 2019: Statement from Jeff Anderson on Archdiocese of New York’s Release of 120 Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse

(New York, NY) – The release of some names by Cardinal Timothy Dolan today, under pressure, is some progress and a step in the right direction, but clearly falls short of the necessary transparency. The release of only 120 names is a simple peek behind the clerical curtain that Dolan hides and hides offenders. We are very skeptical that only 120 names are being released in an Archdiocese of this size. Our history and knowledge of the practices in the Archdiocese of New York lead us to believe the number of names is twice to three times the size of the list of names released today. We consider …

Apr 25, 2019: Out of the Shadows: A PSA in Honor of Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month

(St. Paul, MN) –
Countless survivors of sexual violence suffer in silence in the shadows of
pain, isolation and shame, the shadows of guilt and fear, the shadows of the
institutions that protect perpetrators and a culture that blames victims. It
can take a survivor years, even decades, and tremendous courage to step out of
the shadows and into the light. 

 

In this video,
survivors of sexual violence share their stories – in their own words – of their time in the
shadows and how they began their journeys toward hope and healing. They share
their stories…

Apr 25, 2019: Boy Scouts of America Shows No Honor By Misleading Public About Covering Up Sex Crimes

Faced with revelations this week about the shocking numbers of scout leaders accused of sexual abuse, and of victims, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) responded by lying to the public in a pathetic attempt to preserve its image. In doing so, BSA continues to misdirect and cover up.BSA responded to allegations that it has hidden Ineligible Volunteer (IV) files for Boy Scout leaders accused of sexually abusing minors and refused to inform authorities and the public about the alleged offenders by stating that every name has been turned over to law enforcement.This is a factual distortion if not an out…

Apr 24, 2019: Response from Jeff Anderson on the Boy Scouts of America’s Recent Comments to the Media

Jeff Anderson & Associates was informed that today the Boy Scouts of America made statements to the media that they have already taken sufficient actions regarding child sexual abuse in scouting. “All the pledges and promises from the Boy Scouts of America fall short. The reality is, they have to identify the names of thousands of offenders from their secret files. The Boy Scouts need to come clean and inform the communities who these people are, what they did, and where they are today. Through a simple keystroke, they have the ability today to release the names and locations of every…