A 49-year-old woman will get a $1.1 million in her clergy sex abuse lawsuit against the late Rev. Thomas Shea. The plaintiff, Jane Doe 2, claims that the clergyman sexually assaulted her over 60 times. The settlement was reached with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich, just as the case was about to go to trial.
Jane Doe 2 said that Shea, who is now deceased, started molesting her when she was a toddler and continued to assault her for years. She is not the only one.
Court records show that the reverend may have molested at least 15 other girls during the ‘60’s, ‘70’s, and ‘80’s. A number of the victims, who were planning to testify at the trial, have said that when they notified church officials about what happened to them but no action was taken.
In Massachusetts, please contact our Boston clergy sex abuse lawyers if you or someone you love was a victim of molestation by a member of a religious organization. Victims of child sex abuse in this state have until they are age 53 to file a complaint. They are also allowed to sue the accused’s supervisors or the institution that the person worked for or volunteered under if the abuse incidents happened after the new law was passed last year. When repressed memory is involved, adults have seven years since remembering what happened to sue alleged perpetrators and their supervisors.
Sex abuse may result in major trauma for victims. At Altman & Altman, LLP our Boston injury lawyers know just how devastating it is to have this happen to you. We are committed to helping our clients obtain the financial compensation they are owed for the harm they have suffered.
Norwich Diocese to Settle Priest Sex Abuse Suit for $1.1 Million, Courant.com, March 23, 2015
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