Scope of Abuse by Known Perpetrators at the Prestigious Delbarton School Expands as Growing Number of Survivors Come Forward
(Morristown, NJ) – Today, on behalf of multiple courageous survivors, attorneys from Jeff Anderson & Associates and Gianforcaro Law filed five (5) child sexual abuse complaints against the Order of Saint Benedict New Jersey (OSBNJ). Four lawsuits are brought by former students of the Order’s prestigious Delbarton School. The cases, brought under the New Jersey Sexual Abuse Act (part of the New Jersey Victims’ Rights Bill), identify five of the Order’s clerics.
“For decades, Delbarton School and the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey concealed a culture of systemic and widespread sexual abuse of children by their clerics,” said attorney Greg Gianforcaro. According to Gianforcaro, the secrecy insulating sexual abuse within the institution and the complicity of the Delbarton School community began to unravel in 2012 thanks to the courage of survivors who spoke out and filed lawsuits at that time.
“Today’s filings are proof positive that what the public learned about this institution years ago was just the tip of the iceberg,” said Gianforcaro. “These brave survivors filing today join those who filed before them. We are honored to stand with them in their journeys to reclaim the power that was stolen from them so many years ago.”
Among the complaints, five clerics have been identified. They include:
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- Father Justin Capato, accused of sexually abusing a minor from approximately 1998 through 1999 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Colts Neck, NJ.
- Father Timothy Brennan, accused of sexually abusing several minors in the 1980s at Delbarton School.
- Deacon Malachy (Robert) Flavin, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1982 at Delbarton School.
- Father Luke Travers, accused of sexually abusing a minor Delbarton School student beginning in approximately 1986 and continuing until approximately 2000.
- Father Donal Fox, accused of sexually abusing a former Delbarton School student from approximately 1990 to 1992.
Three of the complaints allege abuse by Father Timothy Brennan in the 1980s when he was a cleric of the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey working at Delbarton School. The firms have now filed a total of six cases implicating Father Brennan.
This is the second group of filings the firms have brought against Delbarton School and the Order of Saint Benedict under New Jersey’s two-year window. On July 7, 2020, attorneys from the firms filed six child sexual abuse lawsuits against Delbarton School and the Order of Saint Benedict, sounding the alarm that accused perpetrator Father Benedict “Michael” Worry, O.S.B. was believed to be residing on the premises at the time of filing.
“The New Jersey Sexual Abuse Act has provided a safe platform for these courageous survivors to share their stories and expose the pain and the peril that was hidden for so long,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “By coming forward, these survivors are smashing the shield of secrecy that Catholic leadership has hidden behind for far too long.”