More Suits Santa Fe Archdiocese of Priest Sex Abuse

New Mexican
January 30, 2015

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/briefs/more-suits-santa-fe-archdiocese-of-priest-sex-abuse/article_b6aa0324-38b4-5120-8235-4e1c2d98eab9.html

An Albuquerque law firm has filed seven more lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe on behalf of adults who claim they were childhood victims of sexual abuse by priests.

The complaints, like dozens that came before them, allege the church protected pedophile priests and put them in churches with unknowing parishioners, according to a news release.

Attorney Brad Hall filed the latest cases on behalf of six unnamed men and one woman who claim they were sexually molested by priests as children. Hall now represents two dozen plaintiffs who have accused the church of wrongdoing, and since the mid-2000s has filed claims for a total of 42 people. Hall said about 250 alleged victims have come forward in New Mexico since 1992.

The new complaints state that the abuses took place in parishes across the state, including in Las Vegas, Taos, Tucumcari and Albuquerque, as well as at the now-defunct St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe. According to the release, the lawsuits say the incidents took place in the late 1960s and early or mid-1970s.

Like previous complaints, the lawsuits accuse the church of negligence, vicarious liability and negligent and intentional emotional distress. The suits also accuse the church of “public nuisance” because of its alleged willingness to cover up abuses and purposely deceive the public, as well as alleged refusal to release pertinent documents.