First Lawsuit Filed Against Diocese of San Bernardino Under New Child Victims Act

Child Sexual Assault Survivor Breaks His Silence, Shares Story for First Time Publicly

 (Riverside, CA) – Monday in Riverside, a courageous survivor and attorneys from Jeff Anderson & Associates will:
  • Reveal and discuss the first lawsuit under the California Child Victims Act (AB 218) against the Diocese of San Bernardino and the Congregation of the Holy Spirit religious order for child sexual assault committed by Fr. Louis G. Perreault, C.S.Sp. during his assignment at Our Lady of the Valley in Hemet, California.
  • Reveal and discuss assaults suffered by plaintiff between the ages of 13-15 at the hands of Fr. Perreault while the plaintiff was an altar server and youth group member at Our Lady of the Valley in the early 1990s. The majority of the repeated assaults took place in the sacristy and rectory.
  • Reveal and discuss how the plaintiff previously reported the assault to church officials, but is now able to bring a public claim under the California Child Victims Act. Perreault has recently been included in lists of clergy credibly accused of child abuse released by the Diocese of San Bernardino (2018) and the Diocese of Lake Charles (2019).
  • Discuss the historic California Child Victims Act (AB 218), a new law that extends the statute of limitations and provides a three-year window for sexual abuse survivors to bring lawsuits in cases that were previously barred by the statute of limitations, no matter when the abuse occurred or how old the survivor is.
  • Encourage sexual abuse survivors to come forward confidentially under AB 218.
  • Demand full disclosure by Bishop Gerald Barnes (Diocese of San Bernardino) of the identities, histories, and current whereabouts of all clergy accused of child sexual abuse who worked in the Diocese of San Bernardino.

When
Monday, December 30, 2019 at 11:00 AM (PST)

Where
Marriott Riverside at the Convention Center
3400 Market Street
Riverside, CA 92501

The press conference will be live-streamed. Details to follow.

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