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	Jury Finds St. Elizabeth Liable for Priest Abuse CommunityPub December 2, 2010 http://www.communitypub.com/news/x1817606049/Jury-finds-St-Elizabeth-liable-for-priest-abuse A jury has found St. Elizabeth Roman Catholic parish in Wilmington liable for a former priest's sexual abuse of a young boy in the 1960s. The jury awarded the victim $33 million. The jury ruled Wednesday that St. Elizabeth parish was negligent in not preventing Francis DeLuca from sexually abusing John M. Vai. The jury levied $30 million in compensatory damages for Vai against DeLuca and another $3 million in compensatory damages against St. Elizabeth's. "The legal system in Delaware works and can render justice to all survivors of childhood sexual abuse," Vai said in a statement. A hearing to consider punitive damages against the parish and DeLuca begins Monday. The 80-year-old DeLuca was defrocked in 2008 after serving 60 days in a New York jail for repeatedly molesting his 18-year-old grandnephew. Vai's lawsuit is expected to be the first in a series by DeLuca's alleged victims to go to trial.
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