BishopAccountability.org
	Lawsuit Filed against Suspended Priest By Bill Lambdin WNYT May 23, 2008 http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S454602.shtml?cat=300 SARATOGA SPRINGS - A new lawsuit was filed Friday against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and a suspended priest. The case involves compromising pictures of the Rev. Gary Mercure apparently taken more than a decade ago. John Aretakis is the lawyer for John Watkins, the man who claims he was taken advantage of by Mercure. Aretakis says the priest gave these and many other pictures to the object of his affection. Now Aretakis and Watkins are using these pictures to support their lawsuit against Mercure, Bishop Howard Hubbard and the Albany Diocese. "We don't understand how this ongoing clergy crisis started in this area in mid-2002 and Father Mercure doesn't get removed until 2008. It's absolutely obscene," Aretakis said. The Church suspended Mercure in January after allegations of improper conduct surfaced against him. Aretakis contends that the bishop was told of Mercure's misconduct and shown pictures similar to these in the mid-1990s, but transferred Mercure rather than remove him from the ministry. Watkins was not present at Friday's news conference announcing the lawsuit. The Rev. Robert Hoatson, a man identified as a priest Aretakis works with on clergy abuse cases, read Watkins's statement. "During my first two visits to Mercure's private office at St. Mary's rectory in Glens Falls he was very professional. On my third visit he took me out for an expensive dinner and when we returned to the rectory he made strong sexual advances," Hoatson read. According to the statement that began a two A spokesman for the diocese pointed out Aretakis has filed about a dozen previous lawsuits that failed or were dropped. Aretakis says he's obtained a couple of large settlements and expects further success. The diocese spokesman agrees the pictures that Mercure apparently allowed of himself were not appropriate.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.