News & Events

Nov 08, 2012: Honolulu men claim sexual abuse by Christian Brother at Damien High School in 1980’s

Working with the Oahu-based law firm of Mark Gallagher, nationally prominent clergy abuse law firm Jeff Anderson& Associates, announced today the filing of a civil lawsuit on behalf of two Honolulu men who say they were sexually abused in the 1980’s by a Christian Brother employed at Damien Memorial High School in Honolulu.The plaintiffs, identified in the complaint as John Roe 3 an…

Nov 03, 2012: Ex-Penn State president Spanier charged in Sandusky case

 HARRISBURG – Former Pennsylvania State University president Graham B. Spanier lied to grand jurors, ignored investigators’ subpoenas, and ultimately left five young boys to the whims of a sexual predator, state prosecutors charged Thursday as the former administrator became the latest official caught in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.Along with suspended athletic director Tim Curley and former vice president Gary Schultz, who are already charged in the case, Spanier exhibited a “callous lack of concern” for Sandusky’s victims and a “definite interest in shielding the man who …

Nov 03, 2012: Ex-Penn State president Spanier charged in Sandusky case

Former Pennsylvania State University president Graham B. Spanier lied to grand jurors, ignored investigators’ subpoenas, and ultimately left five young boys to the whims of a sexual predator, state prosecutors charged Thursday as the former administrator became the latest official caught in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.Along with suspended athletic director Tim Curley and former vice president Gary Schultz, who are already charged in the case, Spanier exhibited a “callous lack of concern” for Sandusky’s victims and a “definite interest in shielding …

Nov 02, 2012: Green Bay diocese found negligent in priest molestation civil lawsuit; ordered to pay $500,000

The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay has been ordered to pay a half-million dollars in a civil lawsuit involving a priest accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy.A Las Vegas jury concluded Thursday the diocese was negligent in transferring John Patrick Feeney to a Nevada parish where he allegedly molested the boy.The Green Bay Diocese will have to pay a $500,000 in damages; the suit originally sought $5.1 million.The man in the Las Vegas case says Feeney sexually assaulted him in 1984, when Feeney visited the family’s home while serving the city’s St. Francis De Sales Parish. The man’s attorneys s…

Oct 31, 2012: Judge lets archdiocese bankruptcy abuse ruling stand

A federal judge on Monday handed partial victories to both the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the sex abuse victims who make up the vast majority of creditors in its bankruptcy.The ruling, by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa, lets stand a February decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley dismissing one victim’s claim and allowing two others to move forward, at least for now.The three cases were seen as test cases in which the archdiocese argued that a significant number of victims of clergy sexual abuse had enough information on the church’s handling of cases to have filed fraud claims…

Oct 10, 2012: Law firm says there may be more victims at Shattuck-St. Mary’s

 ST. PAUL, Minn. — The law firm that’s repeatedly sued religious institutions for covering up alleged child sexual abuse says it’s working on behalf of possible victims of alleged sexual misconduct at the Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Faribault.Gregg Meyers, an attorney with the St. Paul-based Jeff Anderson and Associates, said people who say they are victims of a drama teacher charged Monday with 17 counts of criminal sexual misconduct have started to come forward. A possible third victim may also come forward, he said.”We are in the process of doing the analysis that will tell us, …

Sep 06, 2012: 89.3 KPCC: Lawsuit against alleged clergy sexual abuse follows appeals court ruling

A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday by an alleged victim of Catholic priest abuse is just the first, activists say, after a California Court of Appeal ruling last week opened the door to additional lawsuits in these cases.A Sacramento woman, referred to as Jane Doe SS in the suit, filed the civil suit against the L.A. Catholic Archdiocese and St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs. The woman alleges that she was a 15-year-old student at the school in 1980 when Michael Nocita, a Catholic priest and teacher there at the time, sexually abused her on school grounds during school hours.

Sep 05, 2012: Press Release: Sacramento County woman sues Santa Fe Springs Catholic school and LA Archdiocese

A recent California Court of Appeals ruling has allowed a Sacramento County woman who was raped by a priest in the 1980’s to file a lawsuit today against the school where the priest was assigned and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It is expected that the ruling is likely to have significant implications for a great many victims of child sexual abuse, giving them new hope for justice in California courts.

Aug 22, 2012: Father DeCosta accused of sex abuse

The child sex abuse scandal surrounding the Catholic Church has hit close to home, with fingers of accusation pointing at a priest revered in the local community.Father George DeCosta, who for almost three decades was the parish priest at Malia Puka O Kalani Catholic Church in Keaukaha, has been accused of abuse by two Hawaii men. The two were students at Damien Memorial High School in the 1960s when DeCosta was the chaplain there.The school is operated by Christian Brothers of Ireland, and the allegations have been made in claims filed against The Christian Brothers Institute and The…

Aug 22, 2012: MSU-Mankato coach arrested in child porn case

The head football coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato, was arrested and jailed Tuesday afternoon on allegations that he had possessed and produced child pornography.Todd Hoffner, 46, of Eagle Lake, was arrested at his home. According to the university, Hoffner has been on leave from his coaching position since Friday and a school investigation is pending.He remained jailed Tuesday night on suspicion of “use of minors in a sexual performance” and possession of child pornography while authorities considered formal charges, according to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office.

Aug 17, 2012: Golden Valley: Breck School wants suit over ex-teacher’s sex abuse tossed

Breck School wants to dismiss a lawsuit by a former student who claims that he was sexually abused by a former teacher there — and that school officials knew about it.Rich Covin, 52, a retired retina surgeon now living in Rhinelander, Wis., says he was abused by former teacher William Jacobs when Covin was a student at the Golden Valley school in the early 1970s.Covin came forward after Jacobs was charged in another case, 35 years after the Breck incident.He has sued and settled with the imprisoned Jacobs, but he also sued Breck in Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis.