PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call
By Sarah M. Wojcik
Of The Morning Call
Diocese of Allentown, Pius X, priest not liable for sexual abuse of S. Korean student, judge rules
The Diocese of Allentown is not liable for the sexual abuse of a South Korean exchange student inside a private dormitory where she stayed while attending Pius X High School, according to a ruling by Northampton County Judge Michael Koury Jr.
While the attorney representing the diocese praised Koury’s decision, Howard Myerowitz, representing the victim in the sex abuse case, voiced his deep disappointment.
“I have a lot of respect for Judge Koury, but I think he got it wrong. It shouldn’t have gone on,” Myerowitz said of the abuse endured by his client. “This was one of those strange cases where there was a disclosure (of the abuse), but it continued. And that’s what bothers me so much about it.”
The decision, handed down Thursday, exonerates the diocese, Pius X High School, Inc. and a priest identified only as Father Tom Doe, from liability, but the case against the owners of the dormitory and the abuser, Richard Kim, is still poised to move forward.
The victim was 14 when she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by 37-year-old Kim at the now-shuttered ACE Academy in Pen Argyl, where he was working as a tutor. At the time, the teenage girl was attending Pius X High School, which has since closed its doors due to lack of enrollment.
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