6 Lawsuits Allege Sexual Assault By Clerics At Delbarton School

MORRISTOWN, NJ – Attorneys representing victims who say they were sexually abused by former faculty members of Delbarton School filed six lawsuits this week and indicate that several more similar suits may be filed in coming weeks.

Greg Gianforcaro, the attorney that is representing the victims in the suit that was filed in state Superior Court in Morris County, told NJ.com on Tuesday that Delbarton School cared “more about its reputation than it did about the students.”

The school, which is named in the suit along with St. Mary’s Abbey and the order that runs the school, St. Benedict’s of New Jersey, has been named in suits alleging sexual assaults by former faculty members since 2004. In 2019, 13 monks at the school were accused of sexual assault by 30 victims. Reports of sexual assault at the school dates back to the 1960s and lasted into the 1980s, NJ.com reported.

The attorney told reporters from NJ.com and the Daily Record that more victims are coming forward after The New Jersey Child Sexual Assault Act was passed in December. The attorney indicated Tuesday that at least 12 more lawsuits against the school and the order are "coming soon."

The lawsuits name Timothy Brennan, Justin Capato, Donal Fox, Benedict Worry and Malachy Robert Flavin, who were monks of the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, as well as Giacomo Pagano, a former lay teacher at the school, according to documents sent to Patch by Gianforcaro on Tuesday afternoon.

The published reports indicate that school officials told members of the Delbarton School community that all six of the men have been accused of sexual assault in previous cases. NJ.com reported that Brennan – who died last year – had been named in nine previous lawsuits while Worry continues to live on the school’s campus.

In a statement issued Monday night after the lawsuits were filed, school officials declined further comment citing the fact that the school is now named in a current lawsuit.

“These accusations all date back several decades and name individuals who St. Mary’s Abbey/Delbarton School previously reported to the prosecutor’s office and were publicized in the media,” the school said in a statement. “Because these cases are now involved in litigation, St. Mary’s Abbey/Delbarton School cannot comment further.”