Lawsuit filed against Archdiocese of Hartford over alleged sexual abuse

By Mario Boone
WTNH
November 09, 2018

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/lawsuit-filed-against-archdiocese-of-hartford-over-alleged-sexual-abuse/1583439468

A lawsuit has been filed against the Archdiocese of Hartford over allegations of sexual abuse by a priest at a Waterbury church.

According to the lawsuit filed by Attorney Thomas McNamara Friday, the late Reverend Walter Vichas sexually assaulted then 10-year-old altar boy Kevin Distasio in 1980 at the Blessed Sacrament Church on Robbins Street in Waterbury.

"The sexual abuse was at the hands of Reverend Walter Vichas," McNamara told News 8 Friday.

The suit says the archdiocese failed to supervise Vichas or remove him from his duties. It also says the archdiocese failed to investigate Vichas' suspicious conduct and failed to develop a policy for reporting clergy sexual abuse. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

Vichas served at Blessed Sacrament from approximately 1971 until 2001. 

The Archdiocese typically has a no comment policy on pending litigation, but a spokeswoman said the Archdiocese has not been notified of the lawsuit.