Archmere Academy settles sex abuse suit

After settling a sexual abuse suit with the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for $450,000, a Navy doctor has also reached a settlement with Archmere Academy, where his alleged attacker taught. The settlement with the school and the Norbertine religious order that runs it came along with an apology for the abuse. Cmdr. Kenneth Whitwell, who as a student suffered abuse at the hands of Rev. Edward J. Smith, released a statement describing the settlement as an important step in the healing process, with his main goal being revealing the truth and protecting young children from sexual predators. Although the reverend named in the suit declined to testify on Fifth Amendment grounds, officials in charge of the school admitted that they knew of past sexual misconduct on Smith’s part before his assignment to the Academy. Whitwell’s suit was based on Delaware’s Child Victim’s Act, which has some of the strongest penalties in the country for child abusers and their enablers.