Peter Caffrey of Michigan, Claiming He Was Raped by Disgraced Priest Richard Lavigne, Sues 2 Former Springfield Bishops, Jack Flynn, The Republican , May 19, 2010

Peter Caffrey of Michigan, Claiming He Was Raped by Disgraced Priest Richard Lavigne, Sues 2 Former Springfield Bishops

By Jack Flynn
The Republican
May 19, 2010

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/peter_caffrey_of_michigan_clai.html

Peter J Caffrey, of Michigan, left, speaks at a press conference about his lawsuit against two former bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. To the right is his lawyer, John Stobierski of Greenfield. Standing behind them is Peter C. Pollard, regional coordinator of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The press conference was held in front of Franklin Superior Court in Greenfield Wednesday.
Photo by Jeff Brown

GREENFIELD – A 47-year-old Michigan man filed a lawsuit against two Springfield bishops today claiming he was molested and raped by disgraced priest Richard Lavigne.

In the complaint filed by Peter J. Caffrey at the Franklin County Courthouse, the lawsuit claims Bishops Joseph F. Maguire and Thomas L. Dupre were negligent for allowing him to be molested by Lavigne in 1976 and 1977.

The announcement was made at a press conference called outside the courthouse by Attorney John J. Stobierski, a Greenfield lawyer, who has represented between 20 to 30 other victims of alleged church abuse.

At the time of time of the incidents, Caffrey said he was 13 years old and living in North Adams.

Richard R. Lavigne

The suit says he was first molested in the confessional of St. Francis of Assisi Church and subsequently raped by Lavigne in his chalet in Ashfield over a two-year period.

Caffrey said he moved away after that, is now an engineer with the federal government and is married with two children.

He said he basically repressed the memories until last summer after a fight with his wife.

Caffrey said “basically it was a dual personality thing and he was consumed with self loathing.”

He notified the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in September of 2009 and the Catholic Church found his claim to be credible, but he became frustrated with the process and eventually hired Stobierski.