Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
West Virginia Sues Catholic Diocese For Past Abuse of Minors
As reported by The Hill, West Virginia's Attorney General announced yesterday that the state had filed a civil suit against the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The case grew out of Pennsylvania's Statewide Investigating Grand Jury Report on sexual abuse of minors. (See prior posting.) Some of the priests identified in that Report had at one time been employed by the West Virginia diocese. The complaint (full text) in State of West Virginia v. Diocese of Wheeling Charleston, (WV Cir. Ct., filed 3/19/2019), alleges that the Diocese knowingly employed admitted and credibly accused sexual abusers and hired priests and lay employees without adequate background checks. The suit was brought under West Virginia's Consumer Credit and Protection Act and contends that the Diocese falsely advertised that it provided a safe learning environment and intentionally concealed the danger in its educational and recreational services.
Labels:
Catholic schools,
Sex abuse claims,
West Virginia