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	Trinity Lutheran Faces Second Lawsuit over 1980s Sexual Abuse By Ann McGlynn Quad-City Times October 7, 2009 http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_2b992c76-b2f6-11de-98d6-001cc4c002e0.html A second man is suing Trinity Lutheran Church in Davenport, claiming the church did not respond properly when its then-pastor was accused, and then convicted, of sexual abuse in the mid-1980s. The man, identified only as John Doe No. 2, sued the church in Scott County District Court. The former pastor, Paul Faga, is not named as a defendant. Patrick Hopkins, attorney for John Doe, declined comment. Kenneth Munro, attorney for the church on the first lawsuit of a similar nature filed last year, also declined comment. According to court documents: The man grew up in Davenport and took part in Trinity religious instruction. Faga identified Doe's family as one with a pre-teen boy and gained his family's trust. He then used that trust to spend time alone with the boy, whom he touched inappropriately, the lawsuit says. "Reverend Faga was accepted by plaintiff's family as a trusted, sexually safe individual whose presence not only posed no threat to the plaintiff but was, instead, viewed as a positive influence on a rambunctious, pre-teen boy," the lawsuit says. Before the alleged abuse on Doe, other children of the congregation had reported inappropriate contact by Faga, the lawsuit says. The church did not "insulate" other youth from Faga or inform families of the allegations. Doe reported his interaction with Faga to a counselor who reported it to the Iowa Department of Human Services and the Davenport Police Department, documents say. When Faga learned of the report, he set up a meeting with the family at the family's home, the lawsuit says. Faga insisted "there was some type of misunderstanding" and put "considerable pressure" on the family to retract the report of abuse. "This pressure was condoned and/or ratified by agents and/or employees of the defendant," the lawsuit says. It later says, "Faga attempted to and did turn the congregation against plaintiff in an attempt to intimidate plaintiff." After Faga was arrested and left the church, the church did not attempt to provide Doe with any help, the lawsuit says. Faga was convicted of third-degree sex abuse and lascivious acts with a child in 1986. He served two years in prison and three years on parole. With his arrest came at least 10 complaints - eight from Davenport and two from his previous assignment in Boone, Iowa - against Faga from parents of boys and girls ranging in age from 7 to 13, according to articles published at the time of his prosecution. Church officials knew or should have known that Faga had been removed from a previous assignment because of inappropriate conduct with the youth of his congregation, the first John Doe lawsuit states. Officials failed to report the abuse to law enforcement. Church leaders also failed to attempt to determine potential victims of Faga's or whether those victims needed help, the first lawsuit says.
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