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	Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed against Former Hendersonville Priest By John Harbin The Times-News September 29, 2011 http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20110929/NEWS/110929720/1008/sports?Title=Sex-abuse-lawsuit-filed-against-former-Hendersonville-priest A former Hendersonville priest has been named in a lawsuit against the Diocese of Charlotte of the Roman Catholic Church alleging that the priest sexually abused two boys in Albemarle and Charlotte. Plaintiffs John Doe 1K and John Doe 2K have filed the suit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte on the grounds that they were sexually abused as children by Father Joseph Kelleher, making claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, supervision and retention and infliction of emotional stress, according to court records. Kelleher served at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville from 1986 to 1991, according to the church's website. Immaculate Conception Church declined to comment Thursday, referring all questions to the Diocese of Charlotte. The lawsuit was filed in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on Wednesday by the plaintiffs' attorneys, Seth Langson and Leto Copeley of Charlotte. The lawsuit alleges child sexual abuse and coverup by the Diocese of Charlotte. It claims that Kelleher sexually abused the two teenage boys when one was about 14 years old around 1977 at Our Lady of the Annunciation in Albemarle, and when the other was about 13 years old, around 1980, at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Charlotte, according to a press release issued by the plaintiffs' attorneys. The suit, seeking damages in excess of $10,000, also alleges that the Diocese of Charlotte has concealed child sex crimes by clergy since the Diocese was founded, and that such coverups continue even now. According to the lawsuit, the Diocese of Charlotte knew or should have known since at least the 1970s that Kelleher was abusing minors. Kelleher now lives in Winston-Salem. When reached by phone, Kelleher declined to comment about the lawsuit, referring all questions to his attorney. David Hains, director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte, said Thursday that he had not seen the lawsuit and therefore did not have a comment at this time. Langson said that upon completing their investigation into the allegations and feeling it was the appropriate time, his office, along with Copeley's office, filed the suit. As for the $10,000 in damages, Langson said that amount is what the law allows attorney to ask for in a lawsuit. He would not say how much the plaintiffs are actually seeking. Langson said he issued the press release because it has been his experience when working sexual abuse cases that victims don't often come forward until they know other victims have already come forward.
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