New Claim Against Crookston Diocese Underscores Seriousness of International Movement and Protection of Known Offenders by Bishops
Second lawsuit to be filed against priest who fled to India after being accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls
Father Jeyapaul case is painful example of long standing Vatican practice of providing safe harbor for accused priests
What: At a press conference on Thursday in St. Paul, clergy abuse attorney Jeff Anderson will announce a new lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Crookston and involving the sexual abuse in 2005 of a teenage girl by a priest on loan from India. The priest, Reverend Joseph Jeyapaul, who was also charged criminally by Roseau County authorities, fled the diocese prior to the charges being filed and returned to India where he was recently arrested as a fugitive from justice.
This Minnesota case underscores the seriousness of the international movement and protection of known sexual offenders by Bishops of the Catholic Church. According to a recent report in the Chicago Tribune, Jeyapaul is one of at least 32 Roman Catholic priests nationwide who while facing criminal charges, or being investigated for sexual abuse, have fled the United States.
The plaintiff in this new case, identified in the complaint as Jane Doe 122, is the second victim of Jeyapaul to file a civil lawsuit against the Crookston Diocese. Earlier this year, Megan Peterson, now 22, and a victim of sexual assault by Jeyapaul, settled a civil claim against the diocese for $750,000 and provisions that required the Diocese to warn Catholics in India of Jeyapaul’s history and provide child protection and outreach within the Diocese of Crookston.
When:
Thursday, June 14, 2011 @ 11:00 A.M. CDT
Where:
Offices of Jeff Anderson & Associates
366 Jackson Street, Suite 100
St. Paul, MN
Also streamed live at www.andersonadvocates.com
Who:
Attorney Jeff Anderson, an internationally known trial lawyer widely recognized as a pioneer in clergy sexual abuse litigation. Anderson has represented thousands of survivors of sexual abuse by authority figures and clergy.
Attorney Steven A. Anderson, Warroad, Minnesota, local counsel in affiliation with Jeff Anderson & Associates.
Megan Peterson, age 22, a survivor of sexual abuse by Jeyapaul and the Plaintiff in the case settled earlier this year.
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