BishopAccountability.org
	Lawsuit: Priest Abuse Caused Boy's Suicide KMBC September 6, 2011 http://www.kmbc.com/r/29097789/detail.html The family of a teenage boy who committed suicide in 1983 has sued a Catholic priest, claiming that abuse led their son to do it. Brian Teeman was 14 when he took his own life. His family members said they spent the next 30 years wondering why. They said they now blame the Rev. Monsignor Thomas O'Brien, who has been accused in next 30 lawsuits of sexually abusing boys. The suit, which also names the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, claims that Teeman's abuse at the hands of O'Brien sent the boy into a spiraling depression. It seeks unspecific damages for wrongful death, negligence, fraud and infliction of emotional distress. "I guarantee you, my son endured a lot, a lot of pain, for what that priest did to him," said Don Teeman, Brian's father. "I think it's worse now, knowing what our son went through." Don Teeman said he blamed himself for his son's suicide for years, having pushed the quiet boy to try out for sports. Brian's sister and mother said they have often punished themselves for not understanding the death. Lawsuit: Priest Abuse Drove Boy To Suicide But the recent arrest of The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, who has been charged with keeping disturbing pictures of girls on his computer, brought back memories for John David Couzens. Couzens was a friend and classmate of Brian Teeman and he told the family about the secret that he and his friend kept. Couzens said he and Teeman had been abused by O'Brien while they were both altar boys and he believed the abuse triggered Teeman's suicide. "For 30 years, I've wanted to call his parents and sister and tell them the real reason why," Couzens said. Don Teeman said the family never worried when Brian was around O'Brien. "You think you're doing the best thing in the world for your kids," he said. "Then, to find out that all you did was drop them off and the devil took over." The lawsuit claims O'Brien secured the boys' silence by warning them they would go to hell and their parents would disown them if they spoke up. The suit claims the Diocese knew what O'Brien was doing but did nothing about it. The Diocese issued a statement that said it can't comment on the specifics of the lawsuit because it hasn't seen it. The statement said O'Brien was confronted in 1983 about accusations of sexual misconduct with a teenage boy. O'Brien denied it but was sent for psychological evaluation and treatment. After that treatment, he became the chaplain of a hospital. The Diocese said that it told him in 2002 that he may no longer present himself as a priest.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.