Seattle Jury Awards $8 Million in Catholic Sexual Abuse Case

Q13 Fox
July 5, 2012

http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-jury-awards-8-million-in-catholic-sexual-abuse-case-20120705,0,2349841.story

A jury has awarded $8 million to a former student of St. Benedict School in Seattle in a lawsuit against the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a worldwide Catholic religious order of priests.

It is believed to be the largest monetary judgment against the Catholic Church in Washington state.

The jury found the plaintiff, identified only as “S.O.” in the documents, was sexually abused on a weekly basis between 1961 and 1964 by Daniel Adamson, a former teacher and principal at the Catholic school. S.O. testified that he twice asked the Oblate pastor, the Rev. Henry Conrad, for help, but the priest ignored him.

At the time, St. Benedict was owned by the Seattle Archdiocese and run by Oblate priests. S.O. filed suit against both entities, but settled with the Seattle Archdiocese last year.

The jury also heard from two other students who testified that they also told Conrad that Adamson was abusing them, but the Oblate priest allegedly told them to stay quiet.

The total verdict was $8 million, but it will be reduced to $6.4 million because the jury found the Seattle Archdiocese and the Dominican Sisters, another religious order who staffed the school, to be 20 percent responsible.

Each of the three former students testified that Adamson, who was single and lived with his parents, had an elaborate train set that he used to lure them and other kids into his basement where he would abuse them.

Adamson died suddenly in the mid-1970s, while he was still principal of the school. In 2002, after nearly 100 years, the Oblates returned control of St. Benedict to the Seattle Archdiocese.

After the verdict was announced, the plaintiff talked about the case publicly to reporters.

After years of abuse, an emotional S.O., who identified himself as Stephen O'Connor, said, "I just gave up everything. I gave my clothes away, I dropped out of school. I joined the Marines to escape, ended up in Vietnam, where I served 13 months. Came back to St. Benedict's and the abuser was still there."

O'Connor said that with the lawsuit he "was looking for truth, accountability and justice. And today, with this verdict, those three were served."