Oregon Attorneys Investigating Sexual Assault Claims Against the Roman Catholic Church Archdioceses
For decades, clergymen serving the Roman Catholic Church have lured young children and teenagers to participate in inappropriate sexual behavior against their will. These priests and other religious leaders broke the bond of trust and harmed their victims for their repressed sexual gratification.
In response, church officials often failed to do an internal investigation or turn the predatory priest over to legal authorities for criminal prosecution. Instead, the Church often promoted the priest to a higher position at a different Parish and hid the case from the public and police. Fortunately, there are several remedies available for sexual abuse survivors to ensure that the predator and church are held legally accountable.
It often takes victims decades to speak about the abuse they survived, usually coming forward only after suffering in silence for years. If you are a sexual assault survivor and want justice, the compassionate network of affiliate attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, can help. Our caring team of lawyers can protect your rights and help you speak openly about what happened.
Our clergy sexual abuse injury lawyers are ready to hear your story in a confidential setting. We have a comprehensive understanding of Oregon tort law and will use the legal system to ensure the perpetrator faces the consequences they deserve for their despicable behavior.
Clergy Sexual Assault – An Ongoing Problem
In 2018, the Roman Catholic Church released a report identifying 263 Catholic religious leaders who had been credibly accused of sexually molesting innocent victims. Eleven priests on the list have ties to the Roman Catholic Church in Oregon, including Reverend James Jacobson, Brother John Moriarty, Father Tarcisio Lanuevo, Reverend James McSorley, and Father Edmond Ryan.
In 2007, the Portland Archdiocese agreed to a $75 million settlement to compensate sexual assault victims who had been molested by priests. Over $50 million of the agreement was paid by the Catholic Church’s insurance companies and from an Allied Irish Bank credit line.
The Devastating Effects of Sexual Assault
Many sexual assault victims experience ongoing psychological damage and find it difficult to speak out to tell others what happened. To handle the trauma, they often develop unwanted disorders, including clinical depression, substance abuse, ongoing anxiety, self-injury, suicidal ideation (thinking about suicide).
Some survivors eventually take their lives years or decades after experiencing sexual assault. Many teenage and children victims deal with the emotional pain through harmful eating habits, engage in risky life-threatening behaviors, or start living an oversexualized lifestyle.
Healing for some victims requires reaching out to someone they trust to discuss what happened instead of avoiding the truth. The trauma they experience can be a challenge to their senses and make them feel isolated or helpless.
Support from organized groups is available for sexual abuse and rape survivors. These organizations provide coping mechanisms that help the victim recover and develop healthy personal and sexual relationships.
Seeking Justice
In August 2019, the Portland Oregon Roman Catholic Archdiocese settled lawsuits involving eight individuals for $4 million. The cases involved sexual molestation committed by Father Pius Brazauskas, a predatory priest, during the 1970s and 1980s.
A part of the settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by three male victims in 2018 who accused the Reverend of sexually molesting them when they were underage children ages five through twelve years. An additional five males filed a subsequent lawsuit that was part of the settled agreement.
After accusations have been made, but decades before the diocese settled the cases, Church officials assigned the Reverend to the North Bend’s Holy Redeemer Parish. The priest died in 1990 in a nursing facility. The Roman Catholic Church in Oregon settled with plaintiffs after months of ongoing mediation and negotiation.
Oregon Roman Catholic Church Diocese
In Oregon, the Catholic Church is the single largest religious group of all faiths statewide. The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, Diocese of Baker, and their Bishops manage more than 209 Churches and fifty-five Catholic schools throughout the state (listed below). The church provides services to hundreds of thousands of registered Catholic parishioners, parochial school children, and catechism students living in thirty-six counties.
Oregon Dioceses
Diocese of Baker
641 SW Umatilla Ave
Redmond, OR 97756
(541) 388-4004
Cathedral: St Francis De Sales Cathedral
Bishop: Liam Cary
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
2838 East Burnside Street
Portland, Oregon 97214-1830
503-234-5334
Archbishop Alexander Sample
Oregon Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorneys Are Ready to Help
Our network of affiliate attorneys understands the unimaginable physical and emotional pain you endured and how difficult it is to explain to others what happened. We know that the Catholic Church will likely push back with its wielding power saying nothing wrong happened to you.
However, with Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, on your side, you will not face the Church or their attorneys alone. We can assure you that all those responsible for your abuse will hear your shocking story at trial or when settling your case.
We can start working on your lawsuit today to ensure that we file all the necessary paperwork before the Oregon statute of limitations expires. Taking legal action against a clergy member might stop the sexual assault of others in the future. We will successfully resolve your case, obtain financial compensation, and protect your rights.
Contact us now at (888) 424-5757. All information you share during an initial, free consultation concerning your case will remain confidential.
Sexual Abuse Lawyers
