New Court Filing in Priest’s “bizarre” Conspiracy Lawsuit

SNAP
July 21, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mo_new_court_filing_in_priest_s_bizarre_conspiracy_lawsuit

New court filing in priest’s “bizarre” lawsuit

In a “first,” he sues young alleged victim’s parents

He also alleges “conspiracy: folks, SNAP, cops & city

It’s because he’s from China, controversial cleric claims

SNAP says archbishop is backing this “vicious intimidation”

Group uses little-known state “anti-SLAPP” law to defend itself

And group asks judge to punish predator by making him pay fees

WHAT

Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, an attorney and clergy abuse victims will discuss a new legal filing responding to an unprecedented recent federal lawsuit in which a twice-accused predator priest claims a young alleged victim’s parents, SNAP leaders, police officers and St. Louis city officials are conspiring against him.

In the new filing, attorneys for SNAP contend

--St. Louis’ archbishop is behind the priest’s unusual and “mean-spirited” lawsuit,

--criminal charges against the cleric were dropped because the young victim is struggling emotionally, &

The filing also says that the “conspiracy” accusations are impossible because SNAP leaders

--had no contact with law enforcement about the case and

--spoke with the young boy’s parents after the priest’s arrest.

They also

--ask the judge to essentially punish the priest by forcing him to pay for SNAP’s attorney fees.

--blast the archbishop for letting the priest sue his victim’s parents.

When:

TODAY, Tuesday, July 21 at 1:30 p.m.

Where:

Outside the St. Louis Cathedral, 4431 Lindell at Newstead in the city’s Central West End

Who:

An attorney and three-four members of a support group called SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)

Why:

Last month, prosecutors dropped child sex abuse charges against a twice-accused archdiocesan priest with close ties to St. Louis’ top Catholic official. They said, however, that they hope to re-file the case.

In an unprecedented move, the priest, Fr. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, is suing the alleged victim’s parents, SNAP, two police officers and the city of St. Louis claiming he’s the victim of a conspiracy to slander him and violate his religious freedom because he’s Chinese and Catholic.

[stltoday.com]

Today, attorneys for SNAP are disclosing the first formal response to what they call Fr. Jiang’s “bizarre” suit. In it, they charge that Archbishop Robert Carlson is behind Fr. Jiang’s lawsuit, which is the first time in Missouri history (as best SNAP can tell) that a Catholic official sued a victim’s parents. (A similar suit filed by a California priest against SNAP resulted in an award of $120,000 for SNAP and against the cleric.)

SNAP also charges that Fr. Jiang’s legal move is a “SLAPP,” a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, designed to scare and discourage victims, witnesses and whistleblowers into staying silent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation

Even though a civil child sex abuse case against the priest is pending, church staff have hinted that the suspended cleric may be put back to work in a parish. SNAP opposes that potential move and wants church staff to take the priest’s passport to prevent him from fleeing the US.

Despite an official national church policy mandating “openness” in pedophile priest cases, Archbishop Carlson refuses to reveal where Fr. Jiang is living, why he had a bedroom in Carlson’s home and why Fr. Jiang followed Carlson from city to city (a highly unusual arrangement in the Catholic church). Carlson also refuses to address an allegation that Fr. Jiang admitted to a Lincoln County girl’s parents that he’d molested their daughter and that Carlson tried to get the parents to return a $20,000 check that the priest reportedly left on their car windshield. SNAP wants Carlson to honor his pledges to be “transparent” and publicly disclose this information.

In June 2012, Fr. Jiang was arrested in for repeatedly molesting the Lincoln County girl numerous times (mostly in her home). He was charged with alleged child sex crimes and “victim tampering.” In November 2013, those charges were dismissed. In April 2014, he was arrested on charges of repeatedly molesting a St. Louis city boy between 2011-2012 (at a Catholic school). According to the suit, Carlson was “supervising Fr. Jiang very closely,” “knew that (he) was a danger to children” and abused the girl while “living in the archbishop’s home.”

[stltoday.com]

[cch-law.com]

Contact:

David Clohessy 314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com

Barbara Dorris 314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com