Archdiocese settles abuse case for $500K

NEW HAVEN » The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford has settled a suit brought against a former priest for $500,000.

The settlement to the victim, who allegedly was sexually abused by the Rev. Stephen Bzdyra while serving as an altar boy at St. Francis Church in the 1980s, was made weeks before the case was to go to trial, according to Timothy P. Pothin of the Faxon Law Group.

While the diocese originally challenged the suit, denying knowledge of the alleged abuse, it was revealed during depositions that a nun at St. Francis had witnessed the inappropriate behavior and had written a letter to the archdiocese expressing her concern, Pothin said.

He said the archdiocese did not try to contact the nun after shemade her concerns known.

“The archdiocese has accepted some responsibility for what occurred, as evidenced by the settlement,” Pothin said. “The settlement represents a significant step forward formy client as he continues to put this ordeal behind him.”

In 2010, the victim had sued the archdiocese, Bzdyra and three parishes in which Bzydra served as priest: St. Francis, St. Hedwig in Naugatuck and St. Augustine in Seymour. His claim against the priest was settled when Superior Court Judge Robert Berdon awarded the plaintiff a $10 million judgment, attaching Bzdyra’s assets, in October 2010, according to state Superior Court records.

The victim lives in the New Haven area, and Bzdyra originally is from New Haven, Pothin said.

“It has always been our position that in this case the diocese should have known that Bzdyra was a danger to children in St. Francis Parish,” Pothin said. “If they had followed up and conducted a proper investigation when they received the information that responsible people were troubled by Bzdyra’s behavior, they would have known, but they failed to do so.”

The archdiocese was led in the 1980s by Archbishop John F. Whealon, who died in 1991.

“One source of comfort for the plaintiff is that upon commencement of this case the Diocese took Bzdyra out of circulation— a she was a fully active priest until that time,” said Joel T. Faxon, a partner in the Faxon Law Group, in a release. “This is the only time in my 20-year career where we were able to actually have a pedophile priest put on the shelf — which protected any number of children from potential abuse.”

The Archdiocese of Hartford issued a statement saying, “It is the policy of the Archdiocese not to comment on specific cases or settlements.”

The statement continued: “Notably, since 2002 the Archdiocese of Hartford has followed the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The purpose of this Charter is to provide a safe, protective environment for children, young people and others who might be vulnerable.

“The Charter requires mandatory background checks for all personnel who encounter minors and vulnerable adults. All Archdiocesan, parish, and school employees and volunteers must participate in a sexual abuse awareness and prevention program.”