News

(St. Paul, MN) – A lawsuit by five clergy sexual abuse survivors against the Vatican is scheduled to be served upon the Holy See on Friday. Attorneys for the five survivors believe the Holy See will likely attempt to refuse service of the lawsuit based on past practices but say the Plaintiffs will not be deterred. “We know from the past that the Holy See will put up barriers and hurdles to try and prevent the survivors from pursuing justice and accountability with the Vatican,” said attorney Jeff Anderson of Jeff Anderson & Associates, who represents the five Plaintiffs.

(St. Paul, MN) – A Minnesota court denied a request to order Boy Scouts of America to publicly release 1,538 secret Boy Scouts files on leaders with allegations of sexual misconduct against children. Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has refused to make public the perpetrator names and documents contained in these files, known as Perversion Files.

(Buffalo, New York) – Fourteen more sexual abuse survivors sued the Diocese of Buffalo under the New York Child Victims Act. The lawsuits name 11 alleged perpetrators, including Fr. Philip Badame who is being publicly identified for the first time. “There are a lot of survivors suffering in Buffalo,” said Attorney Jeff Anderson. “It’s time for reckoning, a massive clean-up and child protection.”

(Honolulu, Hawaii) – A survivor sexually abused as a minor by his Scoutmaster in Hawaii has sued the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for the abuse. The survivor, identified in the lawsuit as John Roe 120 (see attached lawsuit), has also sued BSA for nuisance and is asking the court to order BSA to release all of its secret Perversion Files and discontinue its dangerous practices.

(California) – Today, six Catholic Bishops in California announced the opening of compensation programs for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Survivors who are eligible for these programs must register by January 31, 2020. As of today, compensation programs are being offered by the following Archdiocese and Dioceses.

(Sacramento, California) – Today, the California Legislature passed legislation that will give child sexual abuse survivors a chance at justice and healing denied to them for so long if signed into law. The legislation – California Assembly Bill 218 – is now on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. We strongly encourage him to sign this vital legislation into law.

(Rochester, New York) – The Diocese of Rochester filed bankruptcy this morning after being named as a defendant in dozens of clergy sexual abuse lawsuits filed since New York’s Child Victims Act’s one-year window opened on August 14. “We want to assure the survivors and their family members who have been harmed for so long and have brought claims under the Child Victims Act that this is not the end,” Boyd said. “This will not stop us or the survivors and we know there are battles to be fought.”

(New York, NY) –The law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates released information identifying the incorrect individual as being subject to allegations of child sex abuse. The Anderson Report on Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Brooklyn released on September 10, 2019, incorrectly and erroneously identified Sr. Kathleen McKinney CSJ, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, as being subject to allegations of abuse.

(Buffalo, New York) – Amidst calls for his resignation as he deals with his latest clergy sexual misconduct scandal, Bishop Richard Malone continues to deflect, deny and disparage. After years of covering up for sexually abusive priests in his diocese, it’s more of the same and it’s why the calls for his resignation mount. Jeff Anderson joined Steve Boyd in Buffalo this morning to support survivors and call for Bishop Malone to resign after the bombshell news broke that Malone discussed his possible resignation with diocesan officials in the wake of a scandal regarding Christ the King Seminary and claims of sexual harassment by Fr. Jeffrey Nowak, a diocesan priest.

(St. Paul, MN) – A Minnesota court issued an Order granting the Minnesota Attorney General permission to file a memorandum supporting the release of more than 1,500 Boy Scout Perversion files. Ramsey County District Court Judge Leonardo Castro, noting that “The Attorney General is responsible for protecting the public interest and advocating in favor of the public good,” issued an Order allowing the Attorney General to file an amicus curiae memorandum supporting efforts in a Minnesota case seeking the public release of the Perversion Files.