News & Events

May 18, 2011: The Vatican Infomercial

The Vatican today released what it is calling a “study” on the causes and context of sex abuse of minors by Catholic priests.  This “study” is in fact a self-serving report using information fed to the investigators by the Bishops in the U.S.  The investigators interviewed none of the survivors of abuse with whom we have worked for so many years, nor did they interview anyone outside of those working with the Bishops.

May 18, 2011: The Vatican Infomercial

The Vatican today released what it is calling a “study” on the causes and context of sex abuse of minors by Catholic priests.  This “study” is in fact a self-serving report using information fed to the investigators by the Bishops in the U.S.  The investigators interviewed none of the survivors of abuse with whom we have worked for so many years, nor did they interview anyone outside of those working with the Bishops.   The Bishops certainly gave limited information to the investigators, as they did not give access to their secret files, which reflect the internal cover up …

May 16, 2011: Nothing much new in “new” Vatican guidelines for handling clergy sex abuse

The new “guidelines” issued today by the Vatican that aim to make changes within the church regarding the handling of child sex abuse cases are misleading, toothless and timid.   They are misleading because they are labeled as “changes” but in reality, as even Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi concedes, the guidelines are merely a disingenuous attempt to reinforce the current protocols, rather than make any fundamental changes to the norm.  They are toothless because they give no new rules that require any meaningful change or any real action by church officials…

May 13, 2011: Amnesty International Accuses Vatican of Human Rights Violations

Today, Amnesty International issued its annual global report on the state of human rights and named the Vatican in its list of countries with human rights violations. In its report, Amnesty International specifically cited the Vatican for its failure to remove priests accused of sexual abuse from ministry, not co-operating  with authorities, and not giving victims the proper relief, saying “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children.”

May 13, 2011: Amnesty International Accuses Vatican of Human Rights Violations

Today, Amnesty International issued its annual global report on the state of human rights and named the Vatican in its list of countries with human rights violations.
In its report, Amnesty International specifically cited the Vatican for its failure to remove priests accused of sexual abuse from ministry, not co-operating  with authorities, and not giving victims the proper relief, saying “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children.” 
We are encouraged to see an internationally-known organization like Amnest…

May 13, 2011: Reflections from Chicago

On Wednesday our law firm filed a lawsuit in Chicago against the Vatican. The lawsuit is an attempt to hold Vatican officials accountable for their direct role in covering up the sexual abuse of children perpetrated by Fr. Daniel McCormack. Some wonder why we filed this suit. After all, didn’t the Archdiocese of Chicago settle with this survivor?

Apr 12, 2011: Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s questionable transfers of money leading up to bankruptcy

Yesterday the Creditors’ Committee in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Bankruptcy
proceedings asked the Court to hire a forensic accounting firm to scrutinize the
Archdiocese and Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s transfer of millions of dollars in
the years leading up to the bankruptcy. The forensic accountants the
Creditor’s Committee is recommending are experts in reviewing financial affairs
of organizations, including transfers of money by the organization.

Mar 23, 2011: World’s Largest Pornography Ring Cracked

On March 16, criminal investigators from the United Kingdom’s Child
Exploitation and Online Protection Centre cracked what is being
described as the World’s largest paedophile ring ever. 
Detectives have arrested  184 people from the Netherlands, UK,
Australia, Italy, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand during the three-year
investigation.  According to the report by the BBC, members of the
network used private channels and secret systems to share pornographic
films and images.  The operation chief, Peter Davies, said “Not only is
it one of the largest operatio…

Feb 28, 2011: A Defining Moment for Child Protection: Federal Judge Allows Alien Tort Case to Proceed

TheCA_central district court house.jpg U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued an unprecedented opinion today allowing our client’s case using the Alien Tort Statute to go forward.  You can find the entire text of the opinion on our site.  In denying Defendant Cardinal Roger Mahony’s and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the Court permitted Plaintiff’s…

Feb 24, 2011: New Lawsuit Names Predator Priest Still In Ministry with the Salesians

Today, our firm and Anthony DeMarco, an attorney in Los Angeles, filed a suit on behalf of a courageous survivor who was abused as a young boy by a Salesian priest, Fr. Gerald Wertz, at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.  You can find a copy of the lawsuit here.  Importantly, Fr. Gerald “Jerry” Wertz is still considered to be in ministry, and is residing in the Salesian Provincial House in San Francisco, adjacent to a high school with over 1,000 students.