LAFAYETTE (LA)
Acadiana Advocate [Lafayette LA]
November 20, 2024
By Claire Taylor
Seven lawsuits were filed in recent weeks against the Diocese of Lafayette by people alleging they were sexually abused by clergy when they were children, the latest wave of lawsuits since a June court ruling giving abuse victims more time to seek restitution.
Four of the seven lawsuits were filed in November, one on Nov. 12, in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette. Three others were filed Oct. 29.
One of the lawsuits, while not specifically naming him, appears to refer to alleged abuse by the former Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, believed to be the first priest in the United States to be openly accused and prosecuted for child sexual abuse. He served various church parishes in the Acadiana area. The lawsuit states that the defendant is living in San Leon, Texas, the last reported residence of Gauthe.
There are currently about 20 lawsuits pending against the Diocese of Lafayette and its churches filed since June, all related to alleged sexual abuse by church officials.
In June, the state Supreme Court ruled that victims of clerical sexual abuse have another three years to file lawsuits, regardless of when the abuse occurred, leading to a new round of lawsuits against the diocese and its churches for employing priests with a proclivity for abusing children and for not reporting the abuse.
The names of the defendants, churches and accused clergy are not disclosed in the latest lawsuits.
State law, La. R.S. 9:2800.9, prohibits a lawsuit from naming the accused until a judge has reviewed certificates of merit from the plaintiff’s attorney and a mental health professional and determined there is “reasonable and meritorious cause” for filing the lawsuit.
Many of the lawsuits filed earlier this year have been amended to disclose the defendants, including the Diocese of Lafayette and churches, after a judge reviewed the certificates of merit.
The plaintiffs in the most recent lawsuits currently live in Lafayette, Vermilion, Iberia, St. Mary, Sabine and Jefferson parishes.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
