AUSTRALIA
The Standard
April 10, 2014
SUGGESTIONS that former Ballarat Catholic bishop Ronald Mulkearns could be sued over the ongoing sexual abuse saga gained strength yesterday from a specialist lawyer.
Dr Vivian Waller said former Catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale’s conviction this week on more sex child offences was the trigger for victims to take the issue further.
She is preparing a landmark case against the Catholic Church in what will be the first test of Cardinal George Pell’s recent commitment to make the church less hostile to litigation from sex abuse victims.
At least 20 victims, including some from the south-west, have instructed her to launch a class action against the Diocese of Ballarat and argue that the church’s negligence or cover-ups allowed Ridsdale to remain as a priest after it was known he was a sexual predator.
It is understood the church could be forced to pay out millions in compensation if the cases succeed.
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.