A childhood sexual abuse case involving a priest who was one of Orange County’s most notorious predators is expected to be among the first of a massive wave of lawsuits filed against Roman Catholic dioceses statewide that are on track to go to trial next year.
Over fifteen years after multiple dioceses, including Orange County and Los Angeles, agreed to pay hundreds of millions for claims of sexual abuse by the clergy, an even larger wave of litigation is imminent. This is due to a state law temporarily lifting the statute of limitations for such cases, allowing now-adult survivors to file lawsuits related to decades-old abuse within a three-year window.
During this three-year window, around 2,000 Southern California childhood sexual assault cases allegedly involving the Catholic church were filed in Southern California. Approximately 300 of these cases were against the Orange County Diocese. Attorney Morgan Stewart, from the prominent firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi based in Orange County, is representing multiple plaintiffs in these lawsuits.
The lawsuits associated with Orange and Los Angeles counties have been consolidated and assigned to a Los Angeles judge. One of Stewart’s lawsuits has been given permission to proceed to trial, setting the stage for an expected trial early next year.
This case focuses on Father Eleuterio Ramos, one of Orange County’s most infamous predators, who admitted to sexually assaulting over two dozen boys during his long career. The case also involves Father Siegfried Widera, one of the most wanted sex crime fugitives in North America at the time of his death.
The plaintiff in this lawsuit alleges being molested by Ramos from the age of 5 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Santa Ana around 1979 or 1980, and later sexually abused by Widera around 1984 and 1985 at the age of 10.
Stewart claims to have new evidence supporting the long-standing contention that church leaders were aware of the sexual abuse of minors and actively covered it up.
In a sworn statement filed with the court, a retired alcohol counselor who worked at a treatment center for clergy in Massachusetts in the 1970s and 1980s stated that Father Ramos was admitted for treatment related to alcoholism and “sexual impulses related to sexual abuse of minors”. The counselor’s recommendation that Ramos not be placed back into the ministry was overruled by diocese leaders. According to the counselor, it was common practice at that time for bishops to move priests who had abused minors to other parishes or churches upon their return.
Stewart alleges that church leaders’ sole concern at the time was to “hide these guys and send them out of the jurisdiction of law enforcement,” causing outrage among potential jurors.
Jarryd Gonzales, a spokesman for the Diocese of Orange, expressed the organization’s commitment to eradicating the abuse of children and providing support to survivors. He highlighted the safety measures in place, such as fingerprinting, background checks, and recurring safe environment training for clergy, employees, and volunteers.
In response to the lawsuit’s allegations, Gonzales stated that the church does not comment on pending litigation as a general rule. However, he mentioned that discovery in the case is in the early stages and that the Diocese intends to let the uncovered facts guide its response.
The previous wave of childhood sexual abuse lawsuits ended with settlements prior to jury trials. In 2004, the Diocese of Orange settled 90 cases for a then-record $100 million, followed by the Los Angeles Archdiocese settling 508 cases for $660 million in 2007. The victims in Orange County received apologies from church leaders as part of the settlement.
The new wave of lawsuits has led several dioceses in California to consider filing for bankruptcy, including the Diocese of Santa Rosa, the Diocese of Oakland, and the San Francisco Archdiocese. However, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Orange have not indicated any plans to pursue bankruptcy.
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