Nine sue diocese over alleged past sexual abuse
Nine plaintiffs filed suit last week against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, alleging past sexual abuse by seven of its priests.
The lawsuit was filed in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas by eight individuals and the estate of a ninth, all identified by initials. They are represented by Harrisburg attorney Benjamin Andreozzi, who has previously represented plaintiffs in numerous sexual abuse lawsuits against Catholic dioceses.
The lawsuit accuses the diocese of fraud, conspiracy, fraudulent concealment and breach of fiduciary duty. Also named as defendants are churches of the diocese where the accused priests worked.
All seven priests accused of abuse in the lawsuit were named in the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report into sexual abuse in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and five other Catholic dioceses.
The lawsuit does not give the time of the alleged abuse, but all of the living plaintiffs are now adults, and several of the alleged perpetrators have been dead for years. The estate that is suing on behalf of an alleged victim is making claims under “wrongful death” laws. At least two of the priests had criminal convictions.
Lawsuits over long-ago sexual abuse are typically barred by Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations. But this lawsuit, and others like it, cites the precedent of a similar case filed against the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
In that case, a Superior Court panel ruled the plaintiff could allege an ongoing conspiracy that extended right up until recent grand jury revelations.
That precedent-setting case is now pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which is testing the legal theory behind such claims.
The lawsuits follow statements by attorneys representing people with claims of abuse who have said the diocese is offering low amounts for out-ofcourt settlements through its compensation fund. The attorneys say the offers in many cases are significantly lower than those made by other dioceses in comparable cases.
The diocese said in a statement that this is the first it has learned of the lawsuit, and that it cannot comment on pending litigation. It said none of the priests listed in the suit, whose names were provided by the Post-Gazette, are in ministry.