April 01, 2005

Archdiocese faces 10th abuse suit

WATERLOO (IA)
Courier

By PAT KINNEY, Assistant City Editor

WATERLOO --- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque now faces its 10th outstanding clergy sex abuse lawsuit.

Attorneys for a Waterloo law firm filed the suit in Dubuque County District Court on behalf of an anonymous male plaintiff, "John Doe II," alleging he was abused by a now-deceased priest, the Rev. Albert Carman, in 1954.

Carman's last parish assignment was at Immaculate Conception Church in Clutier. He was a longtime faculty member at Loras College in Dubuque. At the time of the abuse, he was on staff at Loras Academy, a boys boarding school later merged with all-girls Clarke Academy to form Wahlert High School. He died in 1980.

Carman was chaplain for the boys who boarded at Loras Academy at the time of the alleged abuse according to the suit, filed by Waterloo attorneys Chad Swanson and Tom Staack.

The suit says Carman summoned the alleged victim/plaintiff to his residence and "sexually abused plaintiff by causing his pants to be taken down and by touching and blessing plaintiffs genitals with a crucifix."

Posted by kshaw at April 1, 2005 06:32 PM