(CA)
MyNewsLA.com [Los Angeles CA]
December 18, 2024
Attorneys for a man who settled a sex abuse lawsuit with the Diocese of Orange Wednesday called for more to be done to settle other cases ahead of bellwether trials set for next year.
The Diocese of Orange last month settled a sex abuse lawsuit involving former Mater Dei High School Principal Michael Harris for $3.5 million. The case was days away from going to trial, attorney Mike Reck said at a news conference outside Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove.
“This settlement does not get us to where we need to be, which is complete transparency by this Diocese,” said attorney Jeff Anderson, whose firm has pursued many similar lawsuits detailing abuse in the Orange and Los Angeles dioceses.
The number of cases has grown since the 2003 sex abuse scandal that shook the Roman Catholic Church, following a change in state law extending the statute of limitations.
“Most of the lawsuits that we’re seeing right now are from some measure in the past because the statue of limitations has changed,” Reck told City News Service. “For years, while the calendar years were tearing off these survivors could not get through the courthouse doors, but when the law retroactively changed, it created this lag of cases that couldn’t be brought.”
Reck criticized the Diocese of Orange for its response to the latest settlement, saying officials only addressed it after attorneys announced a news conference.
“They’re still responding retroactively,” Reck said.
The Diocese could have disclosed the settlement back in November, Reck said.
“They could have reached out to survivors,” Reck said. “They didn’t. So, we put out a press release yesterday saying we’re going to do this. It’s not lost on me their press statement went out at 4 a.m. this morning.”
Reck acknowledged that the Diocese has improved in its work to prevent abuse, but, he added, “They’re only getting better because the survivors are forcing them to.”
Anderson also criticized the Diocese’s statement on the settlement.
“The tone is to deny, minimize and blame,” Anderson said at the news conference. “And that is the tone and tenor of how they conduct business there… It’s embedded in this statement.”
Anderson said there are 63 pending cases with 13 known offenders.
“It is time for accountability,” he said. “It is time for transparency and for us to stand with the many survivors to make sure others are protected.”
David Orr, a 1989 Mater Dei graduate, told reporters at the news conference that he was also a victim of Harris, a former priest.
“I kept this lie for over 30 years,” he said. “I lied to everyone I knew. I didn’t tell anybody. I think the primary reason I’m so angry is a lot of this was avoidable if the church did what it should have done.”
Orr added, “I decided to come forward and not be a John Doe. … They are denying, deferring and trying to get us to die or go away, and I’m not going away.”
The plaintiff in the settlement said in a statement, “I am only one of the many survivors of Father Michael Harris and although I’m not here in person my spirit, my fight and my heart are here with every other survivor and former students who endured pain, who endured loss and child sexual assault at Mater Dei High School.”
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The victim said school and diocese officials “knowingly pushed my life downward and on a path that I’m still trying to overcome 40 years later… No amount of money will ever give back to me what Michael Harris stole from me… I hope that other survivors continue to come forward to break the silence, to speak out and continue to do so and until Mater Dei and Bishop (Kevin) Vann are forced to reconcile for every soul they murdered through sexual abuse and cover up, through secrecy and silence.”
Attorney Neda Lotfi, who also represented the victim, said there was a lot known about Harris going into the trial preparation, but “new information on Harris was absolutely shocking. The amount of new information by other perpetrators of childhood sexual abuse at Mater Dei, many of whom were hired by Harris, has fostered an environment of child sexual abuse cover-up for decades. … It’s truly sickening.”
Lotfi added that Harris exhibited numerous red flags starting from his time as a student at Mater Dei between 1960 and 1964, through his years at St. John’s Seminary, and continuing into his priesthood before returning to Mater Dei in 1975.
“By the time he got to Mater Dei High School, he had already abused nine other students we are aware of before he met our client in this case,” Lotfi said.
Diocese of Orange officials were prepared to go to trial in the case, but decided to settle, Diocese spokesman Jarryd Gonzales said.
“The Diocese vigorously defended this decades-old claim and was prepared to take it to trial,” Gonzales said. “However, all parties — the plaintiff, the Diocese’s insurers, and the Diocese — agreed that a pre-trial settlement was most beneficial to everyone involved. The Diocese’s insurers funded the settlement entirely, and we are grateful for their participation.”
Gonzales declined to respond to the comments made by the attorneys at Wednesday’s news conference. But in the statement released Tuesday, he said Diocese officials will seek to help survivors.
“In all claims alleging child sexual abuse, the Diocese is committed to seeking justice, fostering healing and providing unwavering support for survivors,” Gonzales said.
“The Diocese of Orange deeply regrets the harm caused by any and all incidents of abuse. The events alleged in this case occurred more than four decades ago; we recognize that such events have lasting impacts, and we are committed to ensuring the Diocese of today is safe for all.”
The Diocese remains “focused on offering resources for healing and support to those affected,” Gonzales said. “We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, standing in solidarity with survivors and their families. By acknowledging the past and taking responsibility, we continue our work to prevent such harm from ever occurring again.”
The Diocese has established a “comprehensive, landmark safe-environment system under its Office of Child and Youth Protection,” Gonzales said.
All of the clergy, employees and volunteers must be fingerprinted and undergo background checks as well as recurring training for a safe environment, the spokesman said.
Gonzales also noted the Diocese has an independent oversight review board that includes former law enforcement to consider sexual misconduct claims.