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	Former Priest Evicted By Cristian Salazar Herald News May 6, 2006 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzNTcm ZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY5MzExMDkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz Paterson - A former priest accused of abusing boys has received notice he is being evicted from his apartment. At about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Superior Court Officer Ralph Trionfo parked his van at the curb in front of the blue-gray, two-story house at 280 McBride Ave., where 69-year-old James T. Hanley has been renting an apartment since at least January. Trionfo said he posted a notice informing the ex-priest that the apartment has been given over to the landlord. Hanley was not home when Trionfo delivered the removal notice. He said the tenant would have to make arrangements to take his belongings. "It looks like it hasn't been lived in for months," Trionfo said of Hanley's apartment. Hanley was removed from the Roman Catholic priesthood by the Vatican in 2003. In a sworn statement to an attorney representing about 20 alleged victims of the ex-priest in a lawsuit against the Diocese of Paterson, Hanley admitted that he molested numerous boys from 1968 to 1982 at parishes in Mendham, Pompton Plains and Parsippany. The Diocese settled with the victims for $5 million in 2005. Hanley was never charged criminally because the statute of limitations had expired, exempting him from having to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law. After Hanley moved in to the apartment at 280 McBride Ave., advocates for people abused by priests leafleted the neighborhood alerting residents to the former priest's past and organized a protest outside the residence. On Friday, the landlord, who declined to give his name or comment about the eviction, stood outside the house with a handful of observers. The action comes after the landlord filed a complaint in Superior Court alleging nonpayment of rent by the former priest, according to Trionfo. Two prior notices were delivered to Hanley, warning him that he faced eviction, Trionfo said. After being evicted, tenants can ask a judge to order the landlord to show cause for the removal, said Glenn Delbasio, of the Landlord/Tenant section of Superior Court. The order typically allows the tenant to return for a period of time, usually a week, while the court determines whether the eviction was reasonable, he said. Matt Kelly, communications director for the New Jersey chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he had not heard that Hanley's landlord was trying to evict him. SNAP, a nationwide organization that monitors priests accused of child abuse, has tracked Hanley's movements since allegations against him surfaced. Kelly said it is unfortunate when anybody gets evicted, but he said that was not the point. "Wherever he goes, as long as the neighborhood is informed about his history, that's the important thing," he said. On Thursday, Hanley was also charged with three counts of animal cruelty after a kitten was found in the back seat of his green 1995 Dodge car in temperatures of more than 95 degrees. Hanley's landlord had called the city's animal control officer about the cat. The ex-priest faces a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in jail on each count. Police towed his car the same day because the license plates had expired. Chief Animal Control Officer John DeCando said Friday that the Siamese, blue-eyed kitten was in good condition, despite being undernourished. He said he had received about a hundred calls from people wishing to adopt the cat. "I already got somebody to take it," he said. Reach Cristian Salazar at (973) 569-7165 or salazarc@northjersey.com.
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