Posts Categorized In: Child Sex Abuse

An independent two year study by USA Child details major inconsistences and gaps in standards for the development and implementation of safeguards against abuse in the Catholic Church. Instead of implementing an overall prevention and investigation plan, the Catholic Church has left the details up to the individual U.S. Archdioceses. Very few Archdioceses have an… Read More

Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filed for bankruptcy in February of this year amid negative publicity surrounding sexual abuse cases and dwindling enrollment numbers. The bankruptcy judge over the case has now set November 16, 2020, at 5 pm EST as the deadline to file any claims against the organization, whether it be creditor or… Read More

Newly released documents from the Boy Scouts of America show that the BSA recorded at least 12,000 sexual abuse cases since the 1940s. The actual numbers could be much higher since sexual abuse often goes unreported. If you have suffered abuse, you are not alone. You can submit a claim to the Boy Scouts of… Read More

The Lamothe Law Firm attended the hearing yesterday in the Archdiocese of New Orleans Bankruptcy proceeding wherein Judge Grabill ruled on the date by which all survivors of sexual abuse must file their claim in the Archdiocese bankruptcy proceedings or risk forever losing their right to compensation (the “Bar Date”). The Archdiocese argued that the… Read More

Safeguarding children’s rights online is a priority. A recent investigation by the New York Times showed that tech companies report more than 45 million images of sexually exploited children annually. In 2018, there were more than 18.4 million reports of online abuse of children, a 6,000-fold increase in only 20 years. And in the last… Read More

Lamothe Law Firm attended Thursday’s federal bankruptcy hearing that covered the Creditors’ Committee’s Motion to Dismiss. The Committee argued that the church is solvent and is just filing bankruptcy to avoid discovery. The Archdiocese said they don’t have to be insolvent to file for bankruptcy. They also argued that is is very common for debtors… Read More

New Orleans clergy abuse plaintiff can’t move bankruptcy-halted case out of federal court: judge, by Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-Picayune-New Orleans Advocate. In May, 2020, more than two dozen clergy abuse lawsuits that had been filed in Orleans Parish civil court were halted because of the Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy proceedings in federal court…. Read More

Many survivors of child sexual abuse struggle with a wide variety of psychological, social, emotional, and personal recovery issues as they mature into adults. Those who survived clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse (CPSA), however, may face additional spiritual challenges. Long-Term Effects According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, adults… Read More

The Archdiocese of New Orleans has removed Acting Deacon V.M. Wheeler from St. Francis Xavier Parish in Old Metairie due to a formal abuse allegation. Wheeler had only been ordained as a deacon and assigned to St. Francis Xavier Parish for 2 years. The abuse allegation occurred 20 years ago. Wheeler is also a partner… Read More