Priest hit with lawsuit after his death for fondling teenager

By Kirstan Conley
New York Post
June 30, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/06/30/priest-hit-with-lawsuit-after-his-death-for-fondling-teenager/

Father Jaime Duenas

A Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to molesting a Bronx teenage girl is being sued by his victim — even though the cleric has died.

Father Jaime Duenas was 87 when he was charged in 2011 with fondling the 16-year-old. He pleaded guilty to the charges and had the case sealed — but not before blaming the victim for his lewd behavior when he pointed out to investigators that “she wore short skirts.”

Now, he is named in a lawsuit seeking restitution.

“My client comes from a very religious family and she lost her faith because of what he did,” lawyer Michael Dowd said after filing the civil suit in the Bronx last week.

“While we cannot comment on the lawsuit itself, we do recognize the seriousness of Father Duenas’ wrongdoing,” said archdiocese Spokesman Joseph Swilling.