PENSACOLA (FL)
News Journal
Kristen Rasmussen
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
An attorney for a Pensacola man who claims he was abused by a priest more than 30 years ago asked Bishop John Ricard on Monday to restore his client's faith by allowing a lawsuit to proceed despite the statute of limitations running out.
The Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee and Ricard filed a motion on Aug. 2 to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by Pensacola resident Paul Tugwell, who claims he was abused by Monsignor Richard Bowles in 1971.
But in a direct appeal to Ricard on Monday, Tugwell's attorney, Joseph Saunders of Pinellas Park, asked the bishop to "repudiate" the motion, which argued that the case should be dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.
Saunders wrote Ricard that the bishop was "charged with the care of souls,'' including the soul of Tugwell whose faith was "shattered'' after he was abused "by a priest whom he admired and trusted.''