Alleged Perpetrator Fr. James Jackson was Treated by Pedophile Dr. Robert Browne
(Honolulu, HI) – Today, the first lawsuit naming the Diocese of Honolulu and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, a religious order, was filed on behalf of a courageous sexual abuse survivor who was abused as a child by Father James Jackson. The lawsuit, filed by Kailua attorney Mark Gallagher and Jeff Anderson & Associates, alleges that Fr. Jackson, using his position and authority as a Roman Catholic priest, sexually abused John Doe 101 when he was a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu in the early 1980s.
“Fr. Jackson was a serial child molester whose depraved crimes against children could have and should have been stopped by Church officials,” said Mike Reck, one of John Doe 101’s attorneys. “This lawsuit seeks justice and accountability that is long overdue.”
Fr. Jackson was a Maryknoll priest who worked in Hawaii for decades at numerous parishes and schools. It is believed Fr. Jackson sexually abused several children in Hawaii. At one point, Fr. Jackson received psychiatric treatment from Dr. Robert Browne, another prolific child molester who sexually abused numerous children at Kamehameha Schools.
In July 2018, the Hawaii legislature re-opened a retroactive window for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to come forward and take legal action against the perpetrator and any institution that may have protected the perpetrator. Previous window legislation was passed by the Hawaii legislature in 2012 and 2014. The current legislative window expires in April 2020.
A copy of the complaint is attached and can be found on our website.