SAN FRANCISCO
Mercury News
KIM CURTIS
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - The Archdiocese of San Francisco knew or should have known that one of its priests was molesting boys during the 1970s, a jury decided Friday in a landmark case. The jury will now decide how much to award the victim.
By a 10-2 vote, the jury decided in favor of 47-year-old Dennis Kavanaugh, who had sued the archdiocese, alleging that the late Rev. Joseph Pritchard had molested him during the early 1970s.
Kavanaugh's was the first of more than 750 lawsuits against Roman Catholic dioceses in California to go to trial since California temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for filing sex-abuse claims in 2002.
The verdict and any subsequent award for damages could have broader implications for other lawsuits by increasing the pressure on the church to settle.
Testimony in the damages portion of the trial is scheduled to begin Monday.
"This victory is based and rests on the efforts, the courage, the guts and determination of so many incredibly brave survivors that came forward over the years," said Kavanaugh's attorney, Larry Drivon. "This is a vindication of their bravery."
Posted by kshaw at March 18, 2005 05:47 PM