Settlement Paid To Sexual Abuse Victim From Former Catholic School In Greenwich: Report

A male victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a Greenwich Catholic priest in the 1970s and '80s will be paid an undisclosed financial settlement, one of five such settlements in Connecticut recently approved by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, reports the Stamford Advocate.

The cases involved four priests who were accused of sexual abuse of the five juvenile victims, Rev. Walter Coleman, Rev. Martin Federici, Rev. James Gildea and Rev. Robert Morrissey, according to the publication.

In a statement emailed to Patch, the Bridgeport Diocese wrote that the settlements reaffirm its "commitment to zero tolerance of child abuse" cases:

The Diocese of Bridgeport is committed to the healing process for all victims of sexual abuse and was extremely pleased that we were able to successfully mediate these cases to resolution.

Because some of the plaintiffs requested confidentiality, the diocese is not at liberty to discuss the financial terms of the total settlement.

We were able to cover nearly seventy percent of the settlement amount through historic insurance policy coverage and other defendants including the religious order to which one of the priests belonged.

These cases date back over thirty years and were all brought against previously accused priests who are deceased.

The Diocese continues to reaffirm its commitment to zero tolerance of child abuse, to remove from ministry anyone who has been credibly accused, and to bring healing and support to the victims and their families.

Anyone with questions or concerns should contact: Erin Neil L.C.S.W., Director of Safe Environments and Victim Assistance Coordinator. Tel: (203) 416-1406. Email: eneil@diobpt.org

The four priests served during the period at the following Catholic institutions:

• St. Patrick’s Church in Bridgeport
• St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Norwalk
• St. Edward the Confessor Church in New Fairfield
• Notre Dame High School in Fairfield
• Former St. Mary’s High School in Greenwich (closed in 1991)
• Emmaus retreats in Danbury

The law firm that represented the victims, Bridgeport-based Tremont Sheldon Robinson Mahoney, P.C., issued the following release about the case:

The law firm of Tremont Sheldon Robinson Mahoney, P.C. (TSRM) reached settlements with the Diocese of Bridgeport on behalf of five (5) clergy sex abuse survivors. Since 1993, TSRM has represented over 175 victims of childhood sexual abuse including cases against public and private schools, boarding schools, youth coaches, religious institutions, medical facilities resulting in over $63 million dollars in recoveries for their clients.

THE CASES – RECORDS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
For almost 25 years, TSRM has been battling with Bridgeport Diocese attorneys on these cases. Most recently, in connection with these additional five (5) cases, TSRM obtained thousands of pages of records including documentation on sexual abuse of Diocesan priests never before disclosed.

"Our clients all came from very religious families and they were altar boys, attended Catholic schools or were heavily involved in Emmaus. These pedophile priests used religion to gain access and trust. They came forward to try to prevent this type of abuse from occurring again and to hold the Diocese responsible," said Jason Tremont of TSRM.

The recent settlements involve claims by five (5) minor victims of sexual abuse by four (4) priests in the Diocese:

1. Reverend Martin Federici while at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, St. Edward the Confessor in New Fairfield as well as on Emmaus retreats in Danbury, Connecticut;
2. Reverend Walter Coleman while at St. Patrick’s Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut;
3. Reverend James Gildea, a Holy Cross brother, while at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, Connecticut; and
4. Reverend Robert Morrissey while a counselor at St. Mary’s High School in Greenwich, Connecticut (this school closed in 1991).

All cases were filed in the Bridgeport Superior Court.

"After many arguments and countless negotiations, the court ordered the Diocese to perform an exhaustive search of its archives to identify records of sexual abuse of children in the Diocese of Bridgeport. Now that those records have been collected, it is our hope that the Diocese will be in a better position to respond to victims who come forward in the future," said Doug Mahoney of TSRM.

In addition to the priests listed above, the following list of priests within the Diocese of Bridgeport, many of whom abused victims represented by TSRM, have been sued and/or were suspended following allegations of sexual abuse of minors, or have had claims against them:

1. Father Kieran T. Ahearn
2. Father Henry A. Albeke
3. Father Stanley Banaszek
4. Father Alfred J. Bietighofer
5. Father Laurence F. X. Brett
6. Father Charles T. Carr
7. Father John Castaldo
8. Father Jean Marie DeGraff
9. Father Joseph DeShan
10. Father Stephen J. DeLuca
11. Reverend William Donovan
12. Father William Fletcher
13. Monsignor William A. Genuario
14. Father Joseph H. Gorecki
15. Father Richard J. Grady
16. Father Sherman Gray
17. Father Stanley Koziol
18. Father Joseph Malloy
19. Father Albert McGoldrick
20. Father L. Luke Meunier
21. Father Joseph P. Moore
22. Father Gavin O'Connor
23. Father Raymond S. Pcolka
24. Father Martin Ryan
25. Monsignor Gregory M. Smith
26. Monsignor Charles W. Stubbs
27. Father Vincent Veich
28. Monsignor Frank Wissel
29. Rev. Larry Jensen – Maronite Catholic Church

TSRM has also been heavily involved in representing victims who were abused as children by priests within the Archdiocese of Hartford. The following list of priests with the Archdiocese, and many of whom abused victims represented by TSRM, have been sued and/or suspended following allegations of sexual abuse of minors, or have had claims against them:

1. Father Joseph Buckley
2. Father Stephen Crowley
3. Father Ivan Ferguson
4. Father Stephen C. Foley
5. Father Thomas Glynn
6. Father John Graham
7. Monsignor Joseph Lacy
8. Father Robert Ladamus
9. Father Felix Maguire
10. Father Daniel McSheffery
11. Father L. Luke Meunier
12. Father Edward Muha
13. Father Louis Paturzo
14. Father Raymond Paul
15. Father William Przybylo
16. Monsignor Edward Reardon
17. Father Kenneth Shiner

"While our work representing victims of childhood sexual abuse began with cases against religious institutions, tragically, over the years, we've seen that these horrific acts occur in other places frequented by children. Currently, we are representing individuals who have been devastated by child sex abuse that happened while they were students at prestigious private schools and well regarded public schools. We hope our efforts will insure that schools are one of the safest places for our children," said Cindy Robinson of TSRM.

TSRM continues to fight for sexual abuse victims and is currently representing victims abused as minors by teachers or coaches at public, private, and parochial schools throughout the state of Connecticut as well as by clergy at religious institutions and doctors and medical professionals at hospitals and medical facilities. This includes but is not limited to: The Diocese of Bridgeport; St. Joseph’s School in Shelton; The Archdiocese of Hartford; St. Lawrence School in West Haven; The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut; St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Milford; The Maronite Catholic Church; St. Anthony’s in Danbury; Hopkins School in New Haven; Villa Maria School in Stamford; Stamford Board of Education; The Town of Trumbull; Boys & Girls Village in Milford; The Children’s Center of Hamden and The Child and Family Guidance Center, Bridgeport. It is important to note that under current Connecticut law, any person who claims damages as a result of being sexually abused, sexually assaulted or sexually exploited as a minor has until 30 years past the age of majority (typically until age 48) in which to file a claim in court. TSRM is seeing many victims come forward who were abused in 80s and 90s.

Click here to read the full story on the Stamford Advocate website.

Image via Shutterstock