Another Former Delbarton Student Accuses Priest of Sex Abuse in Lawsuit

By Justin Zaremba
NJ.com
March 3, 2017

http://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2017/03/man_accuses_former_delbarton_school_monk_of_sexual.html

Another former Delbarton School student has come forward alleging he was sexually abused by a priest at the elite boys' prep school decades ago.

The former student is the sixth man represented by attorney Gregory Gianforcaro to accuse one of the Benedictine monks who taught at the school of sexual abuse. All six have filed civil suits against the private school.

Many of the accusations of sex abuse of students date back to the 1980s and 1990s, but, in this latest case, the man alleges he was sexually abused by the Rev. Richard Lott, also known as Edward Lott, on January 1, 1976.

"The plaintiff is a former Delbarton student who like my other clients, is seeking both damages and accountability from an institution whom we contend was responsible for unspeakable acts against them," Gianforcaro said in a statement. "With regard to the previously filed cases, we are continuing to litigate them."

The man also accused the school and its officials of negligence, misconduct and fraudulently concealing information from him in order to shield the school from criminal prosecution and scandal.

Delbarton's attorney, Donald Okner, declined comment.

Gianforcaro's other clients have accused five other monks of sexual abuse -- the Rev. Timothy Brennan, the Rev. Justin Capato, the Rev. Benedict Worry, the Rev. Donal Fox and the Rev. Luke Travers.

No criminal charges have been filed in these cases due to the statute of limitations.

Brennan, however, was convicted in 1987 of criminal sexual contact with a 15-year-old Delbarton student.

The allegations against Travers, who served as the school's headmaster from 1999 to 2007, date back to when he was a teacher at the school.

This past January, former Delbarton track coach Marc MacNaughton received a nearly $171,000 judgment after a jury found school officials sabotaged his chances of obtaining employment after he left.

MacNaughton's attorney previously said Travers and school breached their separation agreement with him to keep a potential sex abuse scandal quiet.

MacNaughton has said his contract wasn't renewed in 2005 because he reported Travers for making students uncomfortable by excessively hugging them and patting them on their buttocks. He and the school then entered into a separation agreement in which both parties promised not to disparage the other.

An eight-person jury later found Travers and the school had violated the agreement.