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	Ex-Priest's Suit Makes Porn Claim By Garry Rayno New Hampshire Union Leader February 22, 2008 http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Ex-priest's+suit+makes+porn+claim&articleId=5514a159-6963-43a2-a2a0-2548080489ff MANCHESTER – A former Catholic priest has sued the Diocese of Manchester, Bishop John McCormack and the Rev. Edward Arsenault, claiming he was improperly dismissed after alerting the church to a pornography collection he discovered in a rectory. The Rev. Thomas Coover claims the church covered up the information, falsely had him committed to the State Hospital, forced him to leave the priesthood and had him fired from a job he had obtained with the state. Filed in July in Hillsborough County Superior Court North, the suit also claims Coover learned of "highly sensitive information relating to defendant Bishop McCormack and Father Paul Shanley of Boston." Shanley is a defrocked priest found guilty of statutory rape and a prominent figure in the Boston clergy sex-abuse scandal. In his suit, Coover alleges 11 counts against the diocese, McCormack and Arsenault, ranging from fraud, defamation, invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress, wrongful discharge, false imprisonment and breach of contract. Coover seeks monetary damages from the diocese. The diocese released a statement saying "Bishop John McCormack and Rev. Edward Arsenault deny the allegations in the lawsuit filed by Rev. Coover. The claims are untrue and factually baseless. All diocesan officials acted appropriately during the circumstances referenced in the complaint, including making referrals to law enforcement representatives concerning Father Coover's aberrant conduct. These allegations will be addressed fully in court. When all the facts are presented it will be clear that this lawsuit has no merit." The diocese asked the court to dismiss the suit in August, claiming First Amendment infringements and that both federal and state constitutional grounds bar the court from inquiring into "ecclesiastical affairs." Coover and his attorneys say the allegations do not concern religious ideologies or practices, but result from several individuals abusing their influence. Earlier this month, Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire dismissed about half of the counts but let the other counts stand. Yesterday, Diocesan Attorney Brian Quirk said the Diocese will seek dismissal of the remaining counts. The case is currently in the scheduling phase and no dates nor deadlines have been set for trial, depositions or discovery. In the suit, Coover claims in 2002 he found sexually explicit, same-gender videotapes, guidebooks containing the locations of homosexual meeting places nationwide and other related materials as well as leather and chain clothing at a church rectory in the Dover area. It is not the first time lawsuits have been filed with claims of priests finding and disposing of pornography collections of fellow priests. Former priest James "Seamus" MacCormack claimed in a lawsuit that priests removed homosexual pornography and sex toys from a Manchester rectory in 1999, after St. Pius X pastor Richard Connors died suddenly of a heart attack. The lawsuit was filed in 2002. Arsenault later confirmed the material was removed, but said child pornography was not among the material, as MacCormack had claimed. Coover's story does not stop at pornography. He claims he learned and then investigated information about McCormack and Shanley and alerted a priest close to the diocese. At that point, Coover claims the diocese began investigating him, and made allegations against him that led to his arrest, his commitment to the state hospital and his forced resignation. Later, the diocese had him fired from a position at the Youth Development Center, he claims. However, the church contends Coover misappropriated funds from the two Parishes in Somersworth and Rollinsford -- Holy Trinity and St. Mary's parishes -- where he was assigned. When confronted about it, Coover made reference to suicide, the Diocese said. Coover was granted a leave of absence for health reasons and eventually resigned after an independent audit, according to a church filing. The court filing includes a resignation letter from Coover to McCormack thanking the bishop for granting him a leave of absence for health reasons and three weeks of hospitalization, noting he still remains under the care of a physician and therapists. In his suit, Coover claims the diocese had a doctor claim he was Coover's physician, who recommended he be held for observation and undergo therapy. Coover was sued twice in two years by companies looking to recoup money, according to records from Dover District Court. On July 26, 2005, Coover was ordered to pay $7,720 to Carroll College for defaulting on a student loan. On Nov. 6, 2006, he was ordered to pay $5,184 for failing to pay a line of credit. In the 2006 case, he lost simply because he didn't show up to court.
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