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	Fall River Catholic Teacher Accused of Sexual Assault By Joe Cohen Standard-Times January 12, 2009 http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090112/NEWS/901120323/-1/NEWS06 A SouthCoast man who says he was sexually assaulted as a Catholic school student in Fall River about 20 years ago has filed a lawsuit in Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River against the Catholic diocese and the lay teacher he accuses of attacking him. The Boston-based lawyer who filed the lawsuit said he hopes it will bring others forward who witnessed attacks or were victimized by the Catholic school teacher, Albert J. Vaillancourt of Fall River. All parties are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. The Bristol County District Attorney's Office also is conducting an investigation, according to an office spokesman. Mr. Vaillancourt declined to comment when contacted Saturday. A spokesman for the Fall River diocese said that Mr. Vaillancourt most recently taught at Sts. Peter and Paul School. Before that he had taught at the Notre Dame School, which closed about a year ago. The spokesman, John Kearns, said Mr. Vaillancourt was placed on leave Thursday from teaching and from Catholic Youth Organization responsibilities. Mr. Vaillancourt has denied the allegations, according to Mr. Kearns. "The placement of Mr. Vaillancourt on administrative leave is done to facilitate the investigation, and should not be construed as an indication of wrongdoing or guilt," Mr. Kearns said in a statement. "Mr. Vaillancourt has taught at Catholic schools in Fall River for over 40 years and has in that time earned the respect of his colleagues and administrators for his dedication to young people. No prior complaints against him have been made. As always, it is only fair that judgment on this claim be reserved until the matter has gone through the legal process." The accuser, now in his 30s, is identified in court filings as John Doe, who was about 10 years old and a Grade 6 student at Notre Dame grammar school when the alleged attacks took place. Carmen L. Durso, the lawyer representing John Doe, said, "It requires a level of courage that very few young men have to come forward with an allegation of sexual abuse such as my client has. My average client is in his 40s or 50s, because it usually takes that long before men, in particular, can deal with these issues. "I believe there are people who have witnessed some aspects of this conduct. I ask those people to come forward and support my client so people will know what the truth is in this matter." In the court filings, John Doe alleges that Mr. Vaillancourt would bring boys to his desk for punishment and would have them put their head on the desk while he ran his hand over their bodies, including genitals. Also, John Doe alleges Mr. Vaillancourt behaved inappropriately when boys were in the gym showers and at his home when boys were hired to perform yard work. John Doe's wife, identified as Jane Doe, also is a plaintiff. John Doe is claiming that post-traumatic stress disorder from the sexual assaults has affected his health and ability to work to his full potential. Contact Joe Cohen at jcohen@s-t.com
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