Orange Bishop Agrees to Sex-Abuse Settlement Bishop Tod Brown Apologizes to Women Who Sued Orange Diocese Alleging Abuse by Coach, Choir Director, by Larry Welborn, Orange County Register, October 9, 2007

Orange Bishop Agrees to Sex-Abuse Settlement
Bishop Tod Brown Apologizes to Women Who Sued Orange Diocese Alleging Abuse by Coach, Choir Director

By Larry Welborn
Orange County Register
October 9, 2007

http://www.ocregister.com/news/diocese-brown-court-1884282-treatment-women

SANTA ANA – Bishop Tod D. Brown stood in front of a bank of television microphones Tuesday, looked over at two young women who sued after they were sexually abused for years by employees of the Catholic Church, and apologized.

Bishop Tod Brown of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange leaves court Tuesday after pleading not guilty to a criminal charge of being in contempt of court. The contempt hearing was originally sought by attorneys who represent an alleged sexual abuse victim. They complained that Brown had sent a high-ranking church official to Canada for medical treatment before he could be fully deposed in the case.
Photo by Chris Carlson

"I offer my sincere and deepest apologies for what happened to you," the bishop said. "It was unacceptable, reprehensible, criminal and sinful and should never be tolerated under any circumstances … . I am terribly pained by what happened."

He also offered to meet with Christina Ruiz, 27, and Sarah Gray, 26, privately to help them heal from the trauma of being sexually exploited when they were students at Mater Dei High School in the mid-1990s by a coach and a choir director.

"I thank you for that apology," Gray quickly replied. "I would ask that you speak with your attorneys about treating victims more compassionately."

Sarah Gray, 26, a recent plaintiff who says she was abused about a decade ago, poses outside Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
Photo by Chris Carlson

Gray was upset over questions posed by attorneys for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange during depositions on her lawsuit that accused a Mater Dei choir director of sexual abuse. Her attorneys say that she and Ruiz were asked questions about their sexual past, including whether they enjoyed the sexual encounters with the perpetrators named in the lawsuit. Gray claimed in her lawsuit that she had been sexually abused by Mater Dei choir director Larry Stukenholtz.

AGREEMENT: Bishop Tod Brown agreed to out-of-court settlement with women who had alleged abuse by church lay workers.

Brown did not respond to Gray's comment.

Gray and Ruiz, who, along with two others, accepted a $6.685 million settlement of their lawsuits last week, said they were skeptical of Brown's sincerity.

"His apology was clearly done at PR gunpoint," said Gray, a former valedictorian at Mater Dei who later graduated from the University of Notre Dame. "It would have been more sincere if he would have picked up the phone to apologize when the cameras weren't rolling."

Ruiz, whose lawsuit on allegations she was sexually abused by former Mater Dei assistant basketball coach Jeff Andrade had been scheduled for trial Tuesday, said she thought Brown's apology was "just for show… . I don't think he was sincere one bit."

Andrade has admitted to having sex with Ruiz.

Bishop Tod Brown of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange listens to questions at a news conference after pleading not guilty to a criminal charge of being in contempt of court in Santa Ana.
Photo by Chris Carlson

The apology took place during an impromptu press conference after a 45-minute hearing in which Peter Callahan, attorney for the Diocese of Orange, asked Superior Court Judge Gail A. Andler to dismiss a contempt of court action filed against Brown.

Newport Beach attorneys John C. Manly and Venus Soltan asked for a contempt citation against Brown – the highest ranking clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, after he authorized sending Monsignor John Urell to Toronto for treatment of an anxiety disorder before he could complete a deposition.

Sarah Gray, 26, a recent plaintiff who says she was abused about a decade ago, poses outside Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
Photo by Chris Carlson

Urell, who handled sexual abuse allegations against the Orange diocese, became too ill to continue during a deposition in the Ruiz case last month. Manly and Soltan contend that Brown conspired to send Urell out of the country so he could not testify against the church.

Callahan, who insisted the contempt of court hearing proceed after the case was settled in order to clear Brown's reputation, said the decision to send Urell out of the country was made by the monsignor's doctor and the Vicar of Priests.

The Tustin attorney asked Andler to take testimony and rule on his motion to dismiss the contempt citation on Tuesday, but she instead scheduled the hearing for Dec. 3.

Contact the writer: 714 834-3784 or lwelborn@ocregister.com