NEW ORLEANS (LA)
Adam Horowitz Law [Fort Lauderdale, FL]
December 13, 2024
It’s not often we get some good news in the realm of sexual abuse. But recently, there have been a few developments in the often-grim world we address in this blog: the sexual exploitation and assault of others. The very notion that, in this arena of awfulness, there can actually be such a thing as ‘good news, may seem laughable at first. But no matter how depressed you might usually feel when you hear or read about sex crimes against the innocent and vulnerable, in the ‘big picture,’ there are always a few signs of progress.
We at Horowitz Law often find that taking note of those signs of progress can go a long way toward boosting our morale and motivation. We hope you find that to be the case as well:
- Fr. Lawrence Hecker: A 93-year-old New Orleans predator priest is going to jail. Fr. Lawrence Hecker pleaded guilty to child sex crimes. Over the past few years, this looked increasingly unlikely to happen, largely because Fr. Hecker repeatedly claimed to have dementia. But fortunately, both his victims and the local prosecutor persisted. Considerable public attention on this New Orleans cleric’s crimes no doubt helped. In fact, last year, when ‘ambushed’ by two local journalists, Fr. Hecker admitted at least some of his abuse. We hope others who are suffering from childhood wounds and have convinced themselves, “It’s too late for me to speak up or do anything,” will reconsider their pessimism and explore potential legal avenues for themselves and their healing. Incidentally, Fr. Hecker also worked in the Baton Rouge diocese and in a host of smaller Louisiana towns, including Terrytown, Luling, Houma, Metairie, Gretna, Arabi, and New Roads. For more on clergy abuse in Louisiana, click here:
- A new approach to catch predators before they actually strike: Ohio lawmakers are considering a measure that would make the ‘grooming’ of a child – the careful but inappropriate steps child molesters usually take before they go on to commit more serious crimes against that child – against the law. We at Horowitz Law have not heard of this approach before, but we tend to applaud any novel attempt to better safeguard children.
- Even the ‘biggest fish’ increasingly face consequences for abuse: In terms of widespread popularity, Beyonce may be just a small notch below Taylor Swift. Now, Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z, faces child sex abuse allegations for reportedly raping a 13-year-old. “The lawsuit alleges that the unnamed girl was drugged and raped by both Jay-Z and P. Diddy Combs at a party hosted by Combs after the MTV music awards in 2000,” according to one news report. The alleged victim said that “Jay-Z and Combs took turns raping her at a party, and that she drank a drink that made her feel ‘woozy and lightheaded.’ She escaped, she said, by hitting Combs in the neck as he assaulted her, then ran to a petrol station and was collected by her father.” How on earth can this be considered ‘good news?’ Because if one looks at the larger context, it’s obvious that ever-so-gradually, even high-profile, wealthy individuals – whose money and clout would have otherwise immunized them from any real scrutiny of accountability – are more and more often being hauled into court, just like any other citizen, when reports of abuse by the surface. For more on abuse by P. Diddy and other celebrities, click here:
- Kids abused abroad win independent investigation of missionary abuse: Adults who were molested as children in an overseas Christian boarding school have won an enormous battle. They’ve successfully pressured eight church organizations to fund a third-party investigation of all abuse allegations against the school from its founding in 1942 to the present. The survivors estimate that at least 50 predators lived or worked at this facility, the Hillcrest School in Nigeria.
“We were immersed in a culture,” said Letta Cartlidge, “that gave no credence to the voice and choice of children.” She was molested at Hillcrest and heads a steering committee of other victims.
Again, as best we at Horowitz Law can tell, this is an unprecedented victory for survivors. It’s a stirring reminder of just what can happen when victims of child sex crimes unite, speak up, and persist. For an explanation of why it’s especially hard for those victimized in church-funded or church-related schools to step forward, click here.