KXLY
May 24, 2007
http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=2§ion_id=560&story_id=11315
Spokane — Lawsuits targeting former Catholic Priest Patrick O'Donnell are moving forward again after the Spokane Diocese bankruptcy plan became official Thursday, meaning a stay on the lawsuits will be lifted.
Victims say they want O'Donnell to pay for his crimes.
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| "This man is an evil, evil man, he deserves to lose everything he has. We have 60 - 65 victims that w know of, there may be more," Steve Barber said. |
The Diocese's $48 Million settlement paid for its name to be removed from these lawsuits. With the diocese out of the picture attorneys representing victims of priest sex abuse say they're resuming effort against former Priest Patrick O'Donnell, who is not required to contribute any money toward the diocese's settlement.
O'Donnell is named in five lawsuits alleging he molested young boys while a priest in the Spokane Catholic Diocese. The suits have been stalled since December 2004 when the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy which was just weeks before the first O'Donnell trial was about to begin.
Victims and their attorneys say they want justice and since O'Donnell will never spend a day in jail because the statute of limitations has run out, they want him to be punished and a civil lawsuit is the only way to do it.
Steve Barber, who O'Donnell has admitted abusing, says he wants him to pay personally for all the harm he's caused.
"This man is an evil, evil man, he deserves to lose everything he has. We have 60 - 65 victims that we know of, there may be more," Barber said.
O'Donnell has admitted in depositions to abusing boys. He sold his house in an expensive Bellevue neighborhood in 2003 and moved north to a house in La Conner south of Bellingham. It's unclear if O'Donnell has any money to pay a potential settlement.
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