MIAMI (FL)
Herald-Tribune
The Associated Press
MIAMI -- A Catholic priest suspended by the Archdiocese of Miami because of sexual-abuse allegations says he was defamed by one of his accusers' attorneys.
The Rev. Alvaro Guichard, 65, is suing Jeffrey Herman for statements made during a Sept. 22, 2004 news conference at Herman's office in Aventura. At the conference, Herman was announcing settlements involving the archdiocese and several sex-abuuse lawsuits. Guichard showed up unexpectedly, which started a verbal argument.
Guichard claimed he was defamed when Herman said "you raped and sodomized their family member."
The priest responded by saying all lawsuits against him are false.
"This (defamation) suit creates an opportunity to publicly litigate the claims even though the Archdiocese of Miami already settled the lawsuits," Herman said.