Preliminary settlement in Haitian sex abuse case

HARTFORD — About 133 victims of sexual abuse at a Haitian boys school affiliated with Fairfield University and other religious groups are a step closer to receiving $250,000 each — or $61 million in total — for their suffering.

U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny on Monday accepted a negotiated settlement with the university and other groups for payment to the victims. A final settlement is expected to be approved this spring.

The agreement consolidates dozens of lawsuits into one class action suit that creates a $60 million fund to help 133 victims and a $1.2 million fund to administer payments.

“I have no doubt that I should grant preliminary approval,” Chatigny said. “I have studied the papers and, apart from some minor suggestions, I have nothing to say but you have done an admirable job.”

Both sides — a team of lawyers representing the victims and a team representing Fairfield University and other organizations — presented the agreement to the judge, saying it represented months of work and negotiation.

The lawyers said a system to vet additional claims by victims is included in the settlement and initial payouts of up to $10,000 will quickly go out to already vetted victims.

The final settlement amount will depend on whether additional victims are certified and court and legal costs, they said.

“The settlement is fair and adequate and an outstanding result for class members,” said Thomas Goldberg, a lawyer representing the university and other defendants.

“This was not a simple case of an employer being held liable,” Goldberg said. “The university recognized the risk of litigation and the cost.”

The deal offers no admission of guilt by the defendants and settles claims against Douglas Perlitz, a former Fairfield University graduate who founded and operated a school for homeless boys in Haiti called the “Village.”

University connection

Fairfield University raised funds and sent university student volunteers to work at the Haitian school. The university and the affiliated religious groups are accused of being negligent in their supervision of Perlitz and the Rev. Paul E. Carrier.

Perlitz pleaded guilty in August 2010 to one charge of traveling overseas to engage in sex with a minor. He was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in federal prison.

Claims were filed against Perlitz, Fairfield University and Carrier; the Society of Jesus of New England; and the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, which provided a start-up grant and additional monies to Project Pierre-Toussaint, which included a residential school.

It also settles claims against the defunct Haiti Fund Inc., which served as Project Pierre Toussaint’s nonprofit fundraising arm, and Hope Carter, a New Canaan philanthropist and former member of the Haiti Fund’s board of directors.

Ready to settle

In a recent statement, the university said it was prepared for the settlement

“The university has been planning for this litigation, and any difference has been allocated for and will not have material impact on the financial integrity of the university or its day-to-day operations in serving our students, faculty and the broader Fairfield community,” the school said.

“We will continue to make investments to enhance our facilities and our faculty to ensure that we provide a world-class education to our students,” the university noted.

During his sentencing, Perlitz said he was involved in a “dark and abusive” relationship both “physical and spiritual” that began with a Fairfield University priest shortly after he arrived as a freshman on campus in 1988.

Allegations contained in the lawsuit marked the first time that Carrier, a charismatic Jesuit priest, had been accused of abusing one of the boys. Carrier often visited Perlitz in Haiti, numerous victims told Hearst Connecticut Media during the newspaper group’s investigation in Haiti of Project Pierre-Toussaint. None of those said they were abused by Carrier.

Despite the claim, Carrier was never charged with any crime.

Nevertheless, the Society of Jesus transferred Carrier from Fairfield University in 2008 as federal investigators, Haiti’s National Police and the United Nations began digging into claims of misconduct exposed a year earlier by Cyrus Siebert, a radio journalist in Haiti.

The order suspended Carrier from performing any religious duties shortly after Perlitz’s sentencing in December 2010.

Perlitz