HAWAII
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
By JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu has settled one of three civil lawsuits that allege a prominent retired Big Island priest sexually molested teenage boys decades ago, according to the attorney for the plaintiffs in the cases.
Oahu attorney Mark Gallagher said Monday the settlement of the 2013 suit brought by two men known only as John Roe 6 and 7, concerns only the diocese and “there is no dismissal of any claims against Father George DeCosta.”
For almost three decades, DeCosta, now 79, was the parish priest at Malia Puka O Kalani Catholic Church in Keaukaha. The two anonymous plaintiffs said the alleged abuse took place in the 1960s when they were students at Damien Memorial School in Honolulu and DeCosta was the school chaplain.
The school and Congregation of Christian Brothers of Hawaii, which operates the school, also are defendants in the suit filed in Honolulu Circuit Court.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.