Judge Rules That Each Side Will Be Allowed Its Own Psychologist in Somerset Priest's Sex Trial

By Torsten Ove
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
September 15, 2015

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2015/09/15/Judge-rules-that-both-sides-will-be-allowed-its-own-psychologist-in-sex-trial-of-Rev-Joseph-Maurizio/stories/201509150165

Judge rules that each side will be allowed its own psychologist in Somerset priest's sex trial

Dueling psychologists will be allowed to testify in the government's sex case against the Rev. Joseph Maurizio, a Somerset County priest charged with traveling to Honduras to molest boys in an orphanage.

U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson ruled today that Frank Dattilio, an Allentown psychologist, will be permitted to testify for the defense should the government call its own expert, Veronique Valliere, a Lehigh Valley psychologist.

Neither expert has interviewed the three main witnesses in the case, all young Honduran men who say Rev. Maurizio fondled them and took pictures of them naked between 2004 and 2009 during mission trips to the orphanage.

Both sides filed objections against the inclusion of each others’ experts, but the judge said both can testify.

Dr. Valliere is expected to discuss the general characteristics of victims of sex offenses, detailing how they often delay reporting sex abuse or don't tell the entire story of what happened to them out of shame or fear.

Dr. Dattilio will rebut Dr. Valliere's conclusions, saying that generalized statistics and conclusions have "no bearing" on an individual case and can't be applied without a clinical examination of the victim. He will also testify about cultural differences between the U.S. and Central America.

Judge Gibson also ruled today that the victims will be identified only by their first names to protect them.

The trial began last week in U.S. District Court in Johnstown and is expected to last about three weeks.

Rev. Maurizio, 70, has been suspended from his church, Our Lady Queen of Angels, pending the outcome of the case.