Lawsuit Filed, Survivor to Speak of Trickery and Oppression to Silence Him and Other Survivors
What
Today, at a live virtual news conference, abuse survivor Peter Starks will speak publicly for the first time and an investigative report will be revealed which details Church officials’ practices of silencing and manipulating survivors to protect church assets. The recently filed lawsuit alleges that a New York cleric/lawyer, Msgr. Alan Placa, who now works for Rudy Giuliani, tricked Starks (and likely others) into signing a gag order.
He and his attorneys will also:
- Release a new, 45-page report about the priest/lawyer Msgr. Alan Placa, detailing his rise to power (through his long, close friendship with Giuliani), his role covering-up sex abuse, and his pattern of helping several bishops protect both their assets from victims and their predators from exposure.
- Urge New York’s attorney general to investigate him, as an agent for New York bishops, for racketeering,
- Demand that Giuliani fire him, and
- Demand that all New York Catholic officials release abuse survivors from all “gag orders.”
When
Monday, August 9, at 1:00 PM (ET) / 12:00 PM (CT)
Format
A live, filmed Zoom conference call at which attendees can ask questions directly at the end of the presentation but will be muted upon arrival.
Zoom Details
Press are welcome to join the Zoom call. Please contact media@andersonadvocates.com for login information.
Live Stream
The press conference will also be live-streamed via YouTube, Facebook, and in the News section of our website.
Media Note
The press conference will be filmed at 1080p resolution with a broadcast camera and uploaded to DropBox. It will be available for download at the conclusion of the event for use by broadcast and digital media. Submit requests to media@andersonadvocates.com.
Why
A survivor of child sexual abuse will publicly come forward for the first time and detail how:
- In the late 1980s, the survivor asked for help for his suffering parents and family from the head of a religious order and top church officials. Three priests came to his house.
- One of those priests, Msgr. Alan Placa, tricked and coerced the survivor into a settlement that included a gag order.
- The survivor will explain how he did not know that Placa was a lawyer and how he later learned that such gag orders were a common practice employed by the Catholic bishops of New York.