BishopAccountability.org
	Another Lawsuit Accuses Ratigan of Misconduct By Judy L. Thomas Kansas City Star August 11, 2011 http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/11/3071292/another-suit-accuses-ratigan-of.html Another lawsuit is accusing the Rev. Shawn Ratigan of engaging a 9-year-old girl in sexually explicit conduct as recently as May. The suit also alleges that Bishop Robert Finn allowed Ratigan continued access to children — even after learning of disturbing images found on the priest’s computer and despite warnings from clerics about his troubling behavior. In addition, the suit filed today in Jackson County District Court contends that Finn gave Ratigan permission in May to attend another girl’s first communion, ignoring complaints that Ratigan had been spending time on his computer and riding his motorcycle, despite restrictions the bishop had placed on him. “Our clients are seeking transparency in the diocese,” said Rebecca Randles, the plaintiff’s attorney. “If they’d had any inkling that their children were not safe with Father Ratigan, they would never have allowed him to have access to them.” Randles said the plaintiff in the latest civil suit is one of the victims cited in a recent federal indictment of Ratigan. The diocese issued a statement that said an announcement about the lawsuit by the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests “includes a number of factual inaccuracies” but added that “the diocese will not otherwise comment on their allegations.” “Most importantly, the diocese would like to directly say to the parents of this child, ‘Our utmost concerns are for you, your daughter and the anguish of your family. While we do not know your names or the nature of your relationship with Shawn Ratigan, we condemn the destructive behaviors attributed to him,’?” the statement said. The suit alleges that church officials had been warned about Ratigan’s inappropriate behavior around children in 2006 and again in 2010. Moreover, it contends, Ratigan apologized to children, the church and his family in a suicide note he wrote in December, when he attempted to take his life after some computer images were discovered. In May, state authorities charged Ratigan with possession of child pornography after church officials turned over images of children they had discovered on his computer. Finn acknowledged after the charges were filed that in 2010 a diocesan school principal had complained about Ratigan’s conduct around children and that church officials knew about the computer images months before they handed them over to authorities. Today’s lawsuit, filed anonymously by a minor girl and her parents, names Ratigan, Finn and the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese as defendants. It accuses Finn and the diocese of failing to supervise Ratigan and ignoring complaints about his behavior. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, is the second civil suit filed against Ratigan and comes only two days after the priest was indicted by a federal grand jury on 13 counts of possessing, producing and attempting to produce child pornography. According to the lawsuit, Ratigan spent several weekends away from the Vincentian Parish Mission Center where he lived, “often staying with Catholic parishioners who had young children and no warning or understanding about Fr. Ratigan’s propensity to photograph and abuse children.” Ratigan also was invited to dinner by parishioners, and he attended their children’s parties, where he continued to photograph them, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit accuses the bishop and diocese of deliberately mischaracterizing Ratigan’s illness after his suicide attempt, “requesting children and parishioners to send get well cards to him and requesting prayers by the parishioners for his recovery.” To reach Judy L. Thomas, call 816-234-4334 or send email to jthomas@kcstar.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.