MISSOURI
St. Louis Review
By Joseph Kenny | jkenny@archstl.org | twitter: @josephkenny2
A jury in Lincoln County took little time April 6 to find in favor of both Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang and the Archdiocese of St. Louis in a civil lawsuit that alleged the priest had sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl in 2012. In the trial, the plaintiff sought more than $1 million in compensatory damages. The jury began deliberations just past 1 p.m. and returned the verdict just before 3 p.m.
A statement from the archdiocese reported that “the archdiocese and Father Jiang have steadfastly denied these allegations since they were first raised and are pleased with the jury’s decision.”
In closing arguments, Jerry Carmody, an attorney for Father Jiang, detailed dozens of reasons why the jury should dismiss the allegations. First, he said, Father Jiang, a native of Shandong, China, could have returned to his home country instead of remaining to fight the allegations. He also said Father Jiang never attempted to be alone with the teenage girl, now 21. The allegation was unbelievable, he said, because it was said to have happened in a family room with the teen’s parents and siblings present, seven people in all. It was alleged to have occurred while they were sitting under a blanket on the living room couch.
The two didn’t have sexual or romantic texts, Carmody said. The family didn’t contact the police with their suspicions, he added. The girl, he said pointing to testimony, was controlled by her mother and afraid of the consequences if she didn’t go through with the lawsuit.
Father Jiang adamantly denied the accusation that he had sexually abused her and maintained his innocence throughout the time frame.
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