Friar Abuse Lawsuit Settled out of Court

By Elizabeth Donatelli
KSNV
June 26, 2012

http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/Friar-abuse-lawsuit-settled-out-of-court/DH89ddJlhEyQSWA2Anz2ww.cspx

LAS VEGAS (KSNV & MyNews3) -- A lawsuit filed against a catholic friar who was accused of sexually abusing a young boy while he was stationed in Las Vegas is over.

It was settled out of court for money and information. News 3's Elizabeth Donatelli spoke with the former church leader and has that story.

The diocese of Las Vegas, which was also named in the suit, issued a statement back in 2011 saying they were not aware of previous allegations.

The following was read during mass at St. Christopher's parish in March of 2011 when the Diocese of Las Vegas was made aware of the allegation against Brother Tom Thing who was temporarily assigned to the Diocese for a period of time in the early 1980's. The Diocese was not aware of any allegations or misconduct by Brother Thing prior to or during his time in Las Vegas.

You may have heard in the news media recently about a lawsuit that was filed, that alleges that a religious brother abused a child who was attending St. Christopher School in the 1980s. All of us - in the St. Christopher family - are saddened to hear of these allegations.

I want you to know of our commitment to creating a safe environment for all of the members of our community, but especially, our children. As many of you already know, the Diocese of Las Vegas currently has a very comprehensive safe environment program in place which is called "Protecting God's Children", (or "Virtus"). This includes background checks for those who serve in our various ministries, procedures for how we interact with children, ongoing training and education for all staff and volunteers, and an open and transparent process for reporting any concerns. If you ever have any concerns or questions, I urge you to reach out to our offices.

Let us pray for all of those affected by this matter and let us all be resolved in creating a safe environment for all here at St. Christopher. It is only in a place of security and love that we can grow as a community in Christ.

Contact: EDonatelli@Mynews3.com