3 New Sex-abuse Cases Filed against Former Priests

Guam Daily PostGuam Daily Post
July 11, 2017

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/new-sex-abuse-cases-filed-against-former-priests/article_f1e7325a-65e6-11e7-b388-d7781e0ff4ce.html


Three new sex-abuse cases filed yesterday pushed to 82 the number of cases against former Guam priests and the Archdiocese of Agana.

The Archdiocese of Agana had faced more than $575 million worth of claims for damages before these latest three cases were filed.

One of the cases was filed by a woman, now 59, known through initials B.C. She was a minor girl when she was sexually abused by then-Guam priest Louis Brouillard, according to her complaint.

B.C.'s lawsuit alleges that in the mid- to late-1960s, she, her mother and aunt would clean the San Isidro Parish rectory where Brouillard lived, but the priest would be out of the rectory while they cleaned.

On one occasion, B.C. and a friend entered the rectory and found Brouillard naked and reading a pornographic magazine, the lawsuit alleges. BC's friend managed to run out of the rectory, but Brouillard grabbed B.C. and sexually abused her, according to the complaint.

Former student files similar complaint against Brouillard

A former student of St. Francis School similarly alleges being sexually abused Brouillard.

In his complaint, T.M. states he was abused by Brouillard while attending the Catholic school between 1973 and 1976.

T.M. alleges that Brouillard would take him and other students swimming at the Lonfit River where Brouillard would swim "naked with the young boys."

T.M. claims the archdiocese knew or should have known that Brouillard was sexually abusing other boys but did nothing to protect them.

For example, T.M. alleges that a boy complained to another priest that Brouillard was sexually abusing other boys, but nothing was done, according to a statement from the plaintiff's attorney.

The third complaint, filed by A.Q., accuses former priest Raymond Cepeda of childhood sexual abuse.

A.Q. alleges that while he was riding in Cepeda's car in the mid-1980s, Cepeda grabbed the minor boy's genital area.

All three plaintiffs are represented by Guam attorney Kevin Fowler of the law firm Roberts Fowler & Visosky LLP.

Attorney: Abuse of children 'spanned decades'

Fowler believes more people will likely come forward.

"Looking at the time periods of these complaints, it's apparent that the sexual abuse of young children spanned decades and involved multiple wrongdoers," Fowler said in a press release.

Michael Pfau of the mainland law firm of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC, said, "based on the allegation of B.C., T.M., and A.Q., we see a familiar pattern of an authority figure taking advantage of his position to abuse young children – whether they are young boys or young girls."