CONNECTICUT
The Hartford Courant
By DAVE ALTIMARI, daltimar@courant.com
The Hartford Courant
4:14 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2012
HARTFORD – —
A New London woman who says she was molested as a 12-year-old by a now-deceased priest is seeking at least $1.1 million in damages from the Norwich Diocese.
Identified as Jane Doe in court document, the woman alleges she was abused by Father Thomas Shea in 1976 when he was pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in New London. She is claiming that diocese officials, including former Bishop Daniel Reilly, knew Shea had a history of previous abuse allegations and moved him from parish to parish.
Shea is suspected of abusing as many as 15 girls in 11 different parishes from 1953 through the 1970’s. He died in 2006.
Superior Court Judge Marshall Berger ordered jury selection to start Wednesday afternoon in Hartford after denying a motion by the diocese attorneys to postpone the trial until late October. Evidence in the case is slated to begin Sept. 5.
Among the reasons diocese attorney Gary Kaisen cited in a motion to delay was the $60 million fine levied against Penn State by the NCAA following the conviction on sexual abuse charges of former coach Jerry Sandusky. The diocese attorneys argued the large fine could desensitize jurors in this case or impact potential damages.
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