Indiana Suit Against Catholic Diocese Seeks Damages For Disabled Daughter's Sexual Encounter At Abstinence Retreat

The Indianapolis Star reported yesterday on a lawsuit pending in state court in Daviess County, Indiana, brought against the Catholic Diocese of Evansville and several others by the mother of a developmentally disabled young woman over events at a church-sponsored abstinence retreat 5 years ago.  The daughter (then 23 years old), who because of her mental condition was unable to legally consent, had sex with a 25-year old man also attending the retreat. Subsequently, in a plea deal, he was apparently convicted of rape and deported.  The lawsuit brought by Silvia Gameros charges the Diocese with failing to protect her daughter and then trying to cover up the incident. The suit also names as defendants Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church (the parish that hosted the retreat for Hispanic youths), and two outreach workers with the diocese's Guadalupe Center which sponsored the retreat. One of those workers, a friend, extended a last-minute invitation to the daughter to attend, in part in an effort to get a large attendance. The suit seeks damages to cover the medical care and counseling of the daughter, as well as punitive damages.