Trial on Alleged Cover-Up Delayed

By Nate Smith
Washington Times-Herald
March 20, 2012

http://washtimesherald.com/local/x1585738210/Trial-on-alleged-cover-up-delayed

WASHINGTON — The trial of a Hispanic girl who claimed the Evansville Catholic Diocese and the Catholic Community of Washington covered up a rape was delayed again.

According to court records, attorneys for the Diocese asked to have the trial, set for June 18, canceled. Daviess County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Smith granted the request last week, against objections from the plaintiff’s attorneys.

A pretrial conference is set for May 18 to determine the future of the case.

The alleged cover-up, according to records, happened five years ago when a then-23-year-old girl was raped by Fredy Mendez-Morales, then 27, at the old St. Mary’s School. Morales was later convicted of rape, but family members of the mentally challenged girl say church officials tried to coerce her and the family.

The Catholic Community of Washington owned the school at the time and was named in the suit. There were no local officials involved in the alleged acts.