Chicago Catholic Diocese Settles Priest Sex Abuse Case for $1.2 Million

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a boy who was sexually abused by former priest Daniel McCormack, an attorney for the family said Wednesday.

The settlement calls for $1.1 million to be paid to the boy, who is 16, and $100,000 to the boy's mother. In September, the archdiocese agreed to pay $2.5 million to the boy's younger brother, who also was abused by McCormack.

McCormack who pled guilty last year to molesting five boys while pastor at Our Lady of the Westside School was sentenced to five years in prison.

A report filed earlier this year by counselors for the two brothers said both suffer from "extreme sadness ... confusion, anger, shock, rage, mistrust of men."

Five lawsuits have been filed alleging sexual abuse by McCormack, and only one remains pending.  So far, the archdiocese has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle claims arising from McCormack's conduct.

Overall, the archdiocese has paid out about $82 million to settle claims involving clergy sex abuse cases.

Vermont Judge Denies Church Defense that Sex Abuse Claim barred by Statute of Limitations

A Maryland man's lawsuit against the diocese of Vermont alleging that the Catholic church is liable for damages as a result of being sexually abuse while he was an altar boy during the 1970’s because it knew one of its priests, Father Paquette, was a child molester when it hired him obtained a favorable ruling from the Judge on December 15, 2008 when Judge Dennis Pearson denied the diocese’s defense that the claim was barred by the statute of limitations.  

 The diocese does not dispute the claim but raised two key defenses:  (1) that the anxiety and any other psychological problems the man has suffered over the years were not caused by the abuse, and/or (2) the victim waited too long to file his lawsuit, and therefore, he was barred from proceeding because of the Statute of Limitations.  

Judge Pearson ruled that  the claim was not barred by the Statute of Limitations, stating in  his opinion denying the motion that  "I do think the evidence shows there is no reason for the jury to consider whether ... (the man) knew or should have known he had a claim against the diocese for negligent hiring.”

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priest Organization (SNAP )Says New Bishop in Wisconsin Isn't Doing Enough Against Clergy Abuse

Leaders of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) say there's been little progress on child sex abuse efforts during Bishop David Ricken's first 100 days in Green Bay.

Holding a news conference outside the Green Bay Catholic Diocese headquarters, SNAP officials said the new bishop has not made clergy sex abuse his top priority.

"I see a kid on the street, I know you guys feel this way, and I feel because we're out here in the freezing rain and cold we're doing this that child may never have to experience what we went through as parents and victims, and that's what it's all about," Peter Isely of SNAP said.

The diocese responded by saying the most recent incident of clergy abuse reported to the diocese allegedly happened 17 years ago, and that of the four allegations it received in the past two years, the incidents were reported to have happened 33 to 58 years ago.

Auxiliary Bishop Robert Morneau issued a further written statement, saying:

I believe that all children need to be safe and protected from sexual abuse.  I support the diocesan policy of reporting all credible allegations of sexual abuse to the authorities.  SNAP's recent allegation that I was involved in the cover up of criminal behavior by John Feeney, one of our former priests, is false.  To accuse me of such a heinous act is heartbreaking. It unfairly damages my reputation and my credibility.

As a bishop, as a pastor and as an uncle to several nieces and nephews, I would never want to see a child harmed.  I am committed to providing a safe and secure environment not just for children but for all people.

SNAP wants the diocese to release the names and addresses of 51 Green Bay diocesan clergy which, according to SNAP, church officials say sexually abused children.

SNAP says so far Bishop Ricken has refused to meet with the group.

"We just feel that at the end of the day it just is going to make sense to get together with us and have this conversation," Isely said.

Jewish Council Calls for Stronger Reporting Requirements in Childhood Sexual Abuse Cases

The Baltimore Jewish Council has adopted an official policy on child abuse and neglect that supports legislation to limit the current broad exemption for clergy on reporting sexual and other child abuse, except in specific circumstances of confidentiality.

“For those who commit sexual crimes against children, or protect those who do, there must be no sanctuary,” the resolution stated.

The document, approved by the Associated agency’s board of directors on Nov. 13, was prompted by the BJC not taking a position on child abuse bills in the 2008 General Assembly because the BJC and its partners in the Maryland Jewish Alliance did not have a policy, according to Jo-Ann Orlinsky, chair of the BJC’s government relations commission.

Last year’s and previous bills on the issue dealt with the statue of limitations on reporting child abuse and with judicial sanctions against perpetrators. They were either withdrawn by their sponsors or defeated in committees.

The Maryland Jewish Alliance is a legislative coalition of the Associated, BJC, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. It generally speaks with one voice for its members. When there are differences of opinion or, in this case, no official opinion, coalition members speak individually.

Fourteen years ago, the BJC did deal tangentially with child abuse through its resolution on domestic violence, which is now part of the BJC legislative agenda. “We didn’t have a separate policy before because the issue had not come up in a context other than a domestic violence situation,” Ms. Orlinsky said.

Now, based on the 2008 experience, commission members wanted a separate and distinct policy on child abuse in place before the upcoming 2009 General Assembly.

The BJC resolution on child abuse includes:

§                                 Recognizing that child abuse exists in society at large and the Jewish community. “Abusers thrive in an environment where discussion of this topic is silenced and reporting and punishment are discouraged,” the resolution stated.

§                                 It urges identification and treatment of victims.

§                                 It encourages institutions and synagogues, among others, to implement programs to prevent abuse, identify victims and support children and teens.

§                                 It makes clear that adults — not child victims — have a responsibility to disclose suspected abuse. It talks about schools, synagogues, camps and youth service organizations in this context.

New Jersey Teacher Arrested for Sexual Abuse of Minor

Son of Promient Delaware Politician Files Suit Against Catholic Boys School Under Delaware's New Law

In lawsuit, man alleges sex abuse at St. Edmond's Academy

WILMINGTON -- Kermit Justice Jr. -- son of the state's former secretary of transportation and New Castle County's former county executive -- filed suit Wednesday in Superior Court against St. Edmond's Academy, the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, the religious order known as Brothers of the Holy Cross of the Eastern Province, and a former lay teacher at the school, John James Fleming.
In the suit, Justice, now 39, says he was sexually abused by Fleming in the early 1980s while he was a student at the school. Fleming was a teacher and wrestling coach from 1981 to January 1984.  Fleming pleaded guilty in 1985 to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy -- not a student at the school -- during a five-month period in 1984. Prosecutors at the time criticized the school for allowing Fleming to resign with a "glowing letter of recommendation" despite reports of molestation by two students.  The suit was filed under the provisions of the 2007 Child Victim's Act, which eliminated the civil statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse and opened a two-year window during which previously time-barred claims could be made. That period ends in July 2009.

Sexually Abused Victims' Organization Demand sMore from Catholic Church

Following a $4.5 Million settlement by the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, many of the 59 claimants say it is insufficient, and that the Diocese has not done enough to educate the public it serves.

Group Calls for Boycott of Financial Contributions to Catholic Church Due to Clergy Sexual Abuse

Abuse victims ask parishioners to withhold donations

BY LAURA RIVERA

December 8, 2008

Massachusetts Diocese Settlement involved Arbitration where Church Waived Certain Defenses

Archbishop Testifies About Hiding Past Abuses of Sexual Predator Priests

New York Cop Outs His Former Teacher and Priest as Sexual Predator

Ex-NYPD officer to out Nazareth Regional High School teacher in sex abuse

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008, 1:58 AM

John Aretakis, a Manhattan attorney who has aggressively pursued clergy abuse cases on behalf of scores of clients, said the former cop will identify himself and discuss his allegations during a news conference in front of the Brooklyn Catholic high school Thursday.

The ex-cop decided to take a stand after recently attending his 20th high school reunion, where he learned the coach still worked at the East Flatbush school, Aretakis said. His client wants the coach fired from the school to protect current students from similar abuse.

"The teacher is a present danger to children and students," Aretakis said.

Aretakis declined to identify the coach but said his client will name him at the news conference.

Aretakis said the coach took his client and another boy to his summer home on the Jersey Shore in the mid-1980s, where he performed sexual acts on both of them. Last month, the former cop returned to the New Jersey town where the abuse allegedly took place and filed a complaint with local law enforcement officials. Aretakis said the report will be made available at the news conference.

Nazareth Principal Barbara Gil did not respond to requests for comment. The Xaverian Brothers, the Catholic order that runs Nazareth, did not return calls. Gil met with other school officials Tuesday evening to discuss how to respond to the allegations.

The former cop will be accompanied at the news conference by a retired NYPD detective and a Catholic priest, both victims of sexual abuse.

The Nazareth teacher is the second Catholic high school coach accused of sexual abuse in recent months. A family friend accused longtime Christ the King basketball coach Bob Oliva of abuse this year. Oliva has not been charged with a crime.

Catholic Church Not Only Religious Organization that has issue with Sexual Abuse

Expose child sex abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community

By Marci Hamilton

Thursday, November 20th 2008, 6:50 PM

Most people think our culture offers no sympathy to perpetrators of child sexual abuse and goes to great lengths to protect victims. But in reality, sex criminals still get far too much protection and victims far too little help. The most recent reminder is the case of Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who is sitting on files that detail such abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community - including the names of 60 accused sexual predators.

Hikind isn't revealing the information to the authorities because, he says, his sources - the people who say they were victims - had sworn him to secrecy and are afraid of becoming outcasts in their community. But the case, and Hikind's excuses, only underline the need for urgent reform.

First, he says that most of the victims are in their late 20s or older, meaning the statutes of limitations have expired and no prosecution or civil lawsuit could be filed. Regrettably, that is true; state law mandates that criminal charges must be filed by the time a victim is 18 and civil claims by 23.

Second, Hikind maintains that the victims spoke to him in confidence. Again, this is correct. If Hikind were a doctor, police officer or one of the other professionals required by state law to report such abuse, he would be prohibited from refusing to inform authorities because of a deal with victims. He is not.

This is infuriating. In the name of protecting victims, a state assemblyman is shielding people accused of committing the most heinous crimes imaginable.

Enough is enough. First, the Brooklyn district attorney should convene a grand jury to investigate abuse within the Orthodox Jewish community - just as the district attorney did in Philadelphia to investigate the Catholic Archdiocese there.

Second, the state mandatory reporter law, which requires health care professionals and others to inform authorities of child abuse cases, must be amended to include elected representatives. There is no sound public policy that justifies permitting these officials to hoard such information to the detriment of children.

Most important, New York must enact Assemblywoman Margaret Markey's bill to extend the statute of limitations on child sex abuse and create a "window" - making it possible for those victims whose statutes of limitations have expired to file, for a set period of time, a civil lawsuit against perpetrators and the institutions that hid the truth.

Most victims need decades to come forward. Current deadlines virtually guarantee that predators are able to abuse many children before (and if) they get caught.

Across the country, a grass-roots movement advocating such window legislation is on the move. In 2002, California passed a one-year window. The result: more than 300 previously unnamed predators were identified.

New York must get in step before more children are victimized - with no legal recourse as far as the eye can see.

Hamilton is a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University and author of "Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children."

Oregon Court Orders Catholic Archdiocese to Release Records of Sexual Abuse by Clergy

Ex-Priest in California Admits to Sexual Abuse of Minors

LOS ANGELES — A former Roman Catholic priest pleaded guilty on Tuesday to molesting a 12-year-old boy two decades ago.

George Miller, 70, of Oxnard entered his guilty plea in a San Fernando courtroom to one count of committing a lewd act on a child under the age of 14.

Miller also admitted to sexually assaulting three other boys whose cases couldn't be charged because of statute of limitation problems, prosecutors said.

Miller faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 30. His attorney, Steven Cron, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Miller pleaded guilty to a charge of molesting a boy between March 1988 and March 1989 while he was assigned to Guardian Angel Church in Pacoima. He was charged with six counts, but the remaining charges will be dropped after he is sentenced.

A call to the district attorney's office seeking further comment was not immediately returned.

Miller served in the Los Angeles Archdiocese until he was placed on inactive leave in 1997 after being accused of sexual abuse. He was ultimately laicized in 2005.

He was arrested and charged with molesting three boys in the 1970s and 1980s while assigned to the Pacoima church. But the case was dropped when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a California law extending the statute of limitations on sex crimes was unconstitutional.

Authorities arrested Miller in July 2007 after the victim in the ongoing case came forward. Miller had befriended the victim's mother and was a guest at the family home, taking the boy on overnight trips, authorities said.

Miller's arrest came about a week after the Los Angeles reached a $660 million civil settlement of claims by more than 500 alleged victims of clergy abuse.

Federal Circuit Court Permits Sex Abuse Claim to Proceed against Vatican

Case Against Vatican Allowed by 6th Circuit Court

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati made a landmark decision last week by allowing a class-action lawsuit involving alleged sexual abuse by clergy against the Vatican to proceed. The lead attorney on the case, William F. McMurry, told The Wall Street Journal that "what the court has allowed us to do is proceed against the Vatican for the conduct of the U.S. bishops because of the bishops' failure to…report child abuse."

Legally, sovereign states have immunity from most American civil proceedings and the Vatican has tried to block this case and others like it on this basis. In her ruling, Judge Julia Smith Gibbons wrote that "The portions of plaintiffs' claims that are based upon the conduct of bishops, archbishops and Holy See personnel while supervising allegedly abusive clergy satisfy all four requirements of the tortious act exception," according to Agence France Presse.

The ruling allows the Vatican to be held liable for certain actions of church employees on the basis of their employment in the United States. In part, the ruling relied on a precedent set in the 9th Circuit court involving a Portland, Oregon sexual abuse case. A key piece of evidence in the case was a memo approved in 1962 by Pope John the 23rd that expressly directed bishops to treat cases of alleged abuse with strict secrecy, according to the AFP.

Barbara Blaine of The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said that the ruling in the case was a positive move forward: "Anytime the Vatican can be held accountable it helps victims heal and helps victims to be empowered."

Media Resources: The Wall Street Journal 11/25/08; Interview with Barbara Blaine 12/2/08; National Catholic Reporter 6/16/06; Agence France Presse 11/25/08

Massachusetts Diocese Settles for $4.5 Million with 59 Clergy Sex Abuse Victims

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield pays $4.5 million to 59 clergy abuse victims

By STEPHANIE BARRY

SPRINGFIELD - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Massachusetts announced Tuesday it has paid $4.5 million to 59 clergy abuse victims after a lengthy arbitration process.

The settlements ranged from $5,000 to $200,000 and were paid Nov. 20, according to a statement released by the diocese. Victims who agreed to participate in arbitration were asked to fill out confidential questionnaires detailing their abuse and the impact on their lives.

The abuse claims date back to 1948, a diocesan spokesman said. Among the claims were 31 new ones against defrocked priest Richard R. Lavigne, who has been identified as a serial abuser during waves of lawsuits since the 1990s.

Also, a new complaint was settled against former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre, who resigned abruptly in 2004 after the Republican Newspaper questioned him about two men who previously accused him of sexual abuse during the 1970s.

Those men received payments after this negotiation, according to the diocese. Dupre personally contributed to a portion of those, diocesan spokesman Mark E. Dupont said.

The arbitration followed an $8 million settlement between the diocese and its insurance carriers, which had resisted covering millions of abuse claims.

Sexual Abuse Survivor Calls for Legislative Reform in Maryland

Boston Priest Loses Appeal in Sexual Abuse Case

Sexual Abuse of Children Affects Everyone; that's Why We Need to Eliminate Statutes of Limitations for Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abolishing Statutes of Limitations in Cases of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Many people know crime victims who have been raped, sexually assaulted or sexually abused and are well aware that more often than not, it takes years for victims to come forward to seek help and counseling for the injuries they suffered and continue to suffer.  Unfortunately, under current laws in most states, including Pennsylvania, the Statute of Limitations for bringing civil claims for damages is limited.  That is why there is a nationwide movement currently to seek to change those laws, and hopefully, eliminate the Statute of Limitations altogether for these types of injuries.

In 2002, the Pennsylvania Legislature did extend the Statute of Limitations for childhood sexual abuse civil claims until the age of (30) thirty.  However, that is woefully inadequate.

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet by Constitutional Law Scholar and Professor Marci Hamilton at the National Conference for the Crime Victims Bar Association in Chicago, Illinois.  Ms. Hamilton was instrumental in helping to change Delaware’s law -- one of the three states in the country that has now eliminated the SOL for civil claims for sexual abuse.  She is actively working with a number of organizations in states across the country to effectuate these kinds of changes.   In addition, she has authored a book on the subject which is a must read for anyone who cares about this topic entitled:  Justice Denied:  What America Must Do to Protect its Children

Her book spotlights the benefits and barriers to reaching the goal of eliminating statutes of limitation for sexual abuse.  However, Ms. Hamilton predicts a coming civil rights movement for children and explains why it is in the interest of all Americans to allow victims of childhood sexual abuse this opportunity to seek justice when they are ready.

Statutes of limitation are arbitrary time limits that protect child abusers from Justice.  While statutes of limitation may serve good ends for contract and property damage disputes, they can be unfair and unacceptable barriers to justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

The central theme of Hamilton’s book is that SOLs for childhood sexual abuse should be treated like murder, not property crimes, because in effect the abuser murders his victim’s childhood.  Society is best served by having survivors identify their abusers, which leads to only one conclusion:  Eliminate statutes of limitations.

As Ms. Hamilton sets forth, everyone pays a price for childhood sexual abuse in lost output for survivors and mammoth medical costs of treating the physical and psychological injuries.  Here are the numbers: 25 percent of girls are sexually abused in childhood; 20 percent of boys.  Only 10 percent of those report the crime to authorities.  And then only a handful of stories appear in the news. 

Contrary to popular beliefs, sexual abusers are almost always someone the family knows who has gained the victim’s trust.  Vital parts of the relationship between the abuser and child are affection, admiration and trust.  Abusers “groom” their victims patiently until they can trap the child into sex and silence.

As a result, victims slide into suicide or drug or alcohol addiction, not to mention underperformance at work, sexual dysfunction and difficulties with intimacy that can lead to divorce and family disintegration.

Society is programmed not to see abuse, in part because the victims are children who are politically insignificant.  Plus the legal system had made it easier for abusers to move from one child to another -- and from state to state without risk of punishment, in large part because of inadequate SOLs.

Childhood abuse survivors don’t understand what was done to them until they’re old enough to know what was taken away:  their childhood.

Right now, a serious mismatch exists between the ability of survivors to come forward and the speed with which states require them to do so.  As a result, the justice system tilts in favor of the abuser and against his victims who experience this most heinous crime.  And while false accusations may occur in a few cases, proce-dural safeguards to combat them are already in place.

While most child abuse reforms to date are heralded -- (harsher penalties, civil commitment, tracking, pedophile free zones, and Megan’s Law) -- these all presume we know who the predators are. 

And in light of inadequate child abuse reporting laws, experience shows that unless the failure-to-report penalties are severe, most institutions and individuals ignore the reporting laws.  Most states consider the failure to report merely a misdemeanor with small fines.

Here is what Professor Hamilton argues:  Only if the SOLs are abolished will the other approaches become more effective at reducing the rate of child sex abuse by knowing the identity of the abusers. 

In addition to abolishing the SOLs, she sets out what that we need to provide window legislation to allow adult survivors of abuse the opportunity to collect civil damages from their abusers.  By opening this window for civil actions we

(1) make abuse survivors the priority instead of their predators;

(2) better identify child predators in our midst;

(3) find more survivors of the same perpetrator after one survivor comes forward; and

(4) deter institutions from hiding child sex abuse.

Crime Victims of Sexual Assault by Teachers, Coaches, and Counselors Can Seek Civil Damages

MontCo. Coach Arrested For Sexual Assault

6th Circuit Court of Appeals lets Vatican sex-abuse case proceed

By BRETT BARROUQUERE Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A lawsuit can continue against the Vatican alleging that top church officials should have warned the public or authorities of known or suspected sexual abuse of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Louisville, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave the go-ahead for the lawsuit filed by three men who claim priests abused them as children. They allege the Vatican orchestrated a decades-long coverup of priests sexually abusing children throughout the U.S.

Louisville attorney William McMurry is seeking class-action status, saying there are thousands of victims nationally in the scandal that haunts the Roman Catholic Church. He is seeking unspecified damages from the Vatican.

"This is an enormously huge moment," McMurry said. "We're finally going to get to the root of the problem."

Jeffrey Lena, a Berkeley, Calif.-based attorney for the Vatican, said the appeals court's decision narrows the plaintiffs' case because the court upheld dismissing several issues.

"It's gratifying to see the hard work the judges put into the opinion," Lena said.

Lena declined to say if he would appeal the decision. McMurry said he expects the case to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Several lawsuits around the country have sought damages against the Vatican, but many have been bounced around in lower courts. Attorneys for both sides say the Louisville case is unique.

It centers on a 1962 directive from the Vatican telling church officials to keep under wraps sex-abuse complaints against clergy. The document became public in 2003. McMurry claims that document makes the Vatican liable for the acts of clergy whose crimes were kept secret because of the directive.

U.S. District Judge John Heyburn II ruled in January 2007 that the men may pursue their claim that church officials should have sent out warnings about abusive clergy. But the judge also dismissed a large chunk of the lawsuit.

The appeals court upheld Heyburn's decision to dismiss claims that the Holy See was negligent in failing to provide safe care to the children entrusted to the clergy, along with claims of deceit and misrepresentation by the Vatican.

McMurry also sought to depose Pope Benedict XVI, but Heyburn rejected the request. With Monday's ruling, McMurry said, he would seek documents and possibly renew efforts to depose the pontiff.

"We will get to the bottom of this," said McMurry, who represented 243 sex abuse victims that settled with the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2003 for $25.3 million.

Appeals Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who authored the 20-page opinion, rejected part of the lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act, which generally gives immunity to foreign countries from most civil actions. McMurry contended that the Vatican as a country and the religious institution were separate, but Gibbons said they are legally the same.

"Consequently, we reject plaintiffs' contention that they are not suing the Holy See that has been recognized by the United States government, but a parallel non-sovereign entity conjured up by the plaintiffs," Gibbons wrote.

The decision makes it tougher for plaintiffs to sue the Vatican as a religious institution without first overcoming the restrictions under the foreign immunity law.

Brooklyn Politician Raises Spector of Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Orthodox Community but refuses to name names

A Brooklyn assemblyman, Dov Hikind, said that after he broached the subject of child molestation among Orthodox Jews on his radio show this summer, dozens of people came forward with stories about children being molested in the Orthodox community. As many as four people a day have come to him over the past three months with painful accounts of secrets often kept for decades, accusing more than 60 perpetrators, he said.

But according to WABC in New York, he said he won't breach victims' trust by disclosing the private exchanges to prosecutors - or to a lawyer who subpoenaed him in a civil case against a school accused of concealing abuse.

Rather, the outpouring has spurred him to work on devising mechanisms within the Orthodox world for reporting sex abuse and sharing information on school staffers' previous postings. He aims to present a plan to rabbis this winter.

Critics have said sex abuse claims are sometimes handled quietly in Orthodox rabbinical courts, rather than being reported to authorities, though Orthodox leaders are hardly alone in trying to keep such allegations private.  For decades, Roman Catholic leaders often transferred predatory clergy among parishes without telling parents or police. In a 2007 nationwide investigation of sex abuse by teachers, The Associated Press discovered efforts to stop individual offenders but, overall, a deeply entrenched resistance toward recognizing and fighting abuse.

Some sexual abuse cases involving Orthodox Jewish schools have spilled into the secular legal system in Brooklyn.  In one of the most notorious, Rabbi Yehuda Kolko was charged with sexually abusing boys at an Orthodox school. He admitted no sexual wrongdoing and pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor child endangerment charge. Kolko was sentenced to three years of probation and has been dismissed from the school, said his lawyer, Jeffrey Schwartz. The school's lawyer didn't immediately return a telephone call.

Six former students are suing the school, saying it covered up Kolko's misdeeds. Their lawyer subpoenaed Hikind this month, seeking to find out whether he learned anything relevant to the case during his impromptu fact-finding about sexual abuse among the Orthodox.

Brooklyn prosecutors say they are open to hearing the claims, and Hikind said he encourages those who confide in him to talk to the authorities. But none will, he said, for fear of ostracism from a community worried about being stigmatized.

Michigan Jury Awards $3.69 million to Victim who was sexually abused for years

Leaders of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and BishopAccountability.org Criticize New York Catholic Prep School for Harboring Priests who were Sex Abusers

Ex-Jesuit Priest from Illinois Convicted in Sexual Abuse Case

Donald J. McGuire, 78, a Jesuit priest who was only defrocked in February 2008 was convicted in Federal Court in Chicago of engaging in sexual activity with a teenage boy who accompanied him on religious trips to Europe and Minnesota in 2000 and 2002, acording to an article in the New York Times.

Described by prosecutors as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" evidence was presented that showed that McGuire started abusing his victim in 1999 at the age of 13.  Mr. McGuire who taught at Loyola Academy a Jesuit preparatory school in suburban Chicago directed retreats for laypeople and members of Mother Teresa's religious order.