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If you or anyone you know have any information about these individuals please contact, in confidence, our firm. Contact Us. 214-503-7300. Man settles sex-abuse suit with Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese settles lawsuit with women raped by priest Concerns increase over accused priest 7 Tarrant County women accuse priest of sexual abuse Former Fort Worth Catholic Diocese Priest sentenced to 50 years Pope 'Ashamed' of Priest abuse Important Events of 2007 Archdiocese Knew About Abuse Claims Watch TV News Video: Holy Trinity Pastor Faces New Allegations Dallas Greek Orthodox Priest A Greek Orthodox priest who was pastor of a church in Olympia Fields in the late 1960s and early '70s is being sued by two men who allege that he sexually abused them as youths when he served a Dallas church nearly 30 years ago. "There is no evidence that law enforcement officials in Illinois or Texas were ever notified of Katinas' sex crimes against children as required by these states' reporting laws," the plaintiffs' Dallas-based attorney, Tahira Khan Merritt, states in the suit. Closing one of the most notorious chapters in the history of the Fort Worth Diocese, the Rev. Thomas Teczar was convicted Wednesday of sexual assault and indecency and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting and raping an 11-year-old boy. Teczar's accuser, a Taylor County man now in his late 20s, said "Yes!" as the verdict was announced. The man said he is still angry about being abused in the early 1990s when Teczar was a priest at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Ranger. "I can't find better counseling than watching him leave this courtroom in handcuffs," the man said. Teczar, who now lives in Massachusetts, is believed to be the only priest convicted of a crime that occurred while he was serving in the Fort Worth Diocese. Several other Fort Worth clerics have been accused in civil court suits of similar acts. Watch TV News Video: Church Says Charge Against Greek Orthodox Priest is True Greek Orthodox Abuse Claims Led to Suspension of Priest Months of rumors ended with devastating confirmation Wednesday night that the longtime, beloved pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in North Dallas was suspended over allegations of child sexual abuse. The Rev. Nicholas Katinas led the church, a focal point of the local Greek community, for 28 years. He retired on July 1, citing illness and fatigue. A Dallas lawyer, Tahira Khan Merritt, said she represents a man who claims to have been sexually abused by Father Katinas while an altar server in 1983-85. She expects to file a lawsuit soon. More Clergy Abuse Files Turn Up in Fort Worth The Fort Worth Catholic Diocese acknowledged Wednesday the existence of more clergy sexual abuse files that its officials failed to surrender under a civil court order. The disclosure outraged Dallas lawyer Tahira Khan Merritt, who was supposed to have received documents in late 2004 on all accused priests who had worked in the diocese. She was suing at the time over the actions of one priest but alleged a broader pattern of cover-up – a cover-up that has since been borne out by documents The Dallas Morning News obtained in November, after a 19-month court fight. "I would hope that judges and criminal prosecutors see this for what it is – an abuse of our judicial process – and take action now," Ms. Merritt said. "I would urge the Tarrant County district attorney to arrive at the diocese offices with a search warrant." Eleven Ask to Remove Priest's Name It was a symbolic demand. The 11 men who sued the Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese, saying they were sexually abused as altar boys by the Rev. James Reilly, wanted his name to disappear. They wanted it removed from plaques, statues, buildings and any other objects in the 28-county diocese. The James J. Reilly Center at St. Maria Goretti will be renamed, said Tahira Khan Merritt, the Dallas attorney who represented the men. And, most important to the men, they will get an apology. Parish Predators Despite Bishop Joseph Fiorenza's remarks to the contrary, the Galveston-Houston Roman Catholic Archdiocese had child molesters and let them go. But don’t blame just the Church. With the exception of the Houston Chronicle, Houston media outlets have given Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza a free ride when it came to his involvement in the scandal plaguing the Catholic Church. But a study of his actions while bishop of the San Angelo Diocese in the '80s and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston shows a history of questionable judgment. Diocese Won't Appeal Release of Priest Files Fort Worth's Roman Catholic diocese dropped its fight Friday over the release of details about sexual-abuse allegations against seven priests and revealed that one of those clerics had been performing priestly duties until he was ordered to stop this week. The Rev. Philip Magaldi has been forbidden to perform services or present himself as a cleric, Bishop Kevin Vann said . . . Dallas attorney Tahira Khan Merritt said Vann's decision not to appeal is a good first step. Merritt represents men who say they were abused by the Rev. James Reilly, who led St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Arlington. Merritt, who said the number of Reilly accusers she represents has grown to 12, is suing the diocese on their behalf. Reilly is dead. Her clients "feel very strongly that these records must be made available to the public in order for them to continue their healing process," Merritt said. Dallas Diocese Verifies Abuse Allegation Dallas Diocese officials say they have verified a sexual-misconduct allegation against a prominent priest and have permanently barred him from ministry. Monsignor Richard E. Johnson was suspended from St. Patrick Church in late May, when he was accused of abusing an altar boy for several years in the 1980s. . . Dallas lawyer Tahira Khan Merritt, who represents Monsignor Johnson's one known accuser, said her client has not spoken to a diocesan review board investigating the matter or made any financial demands. Ms. Merritt, who has represented numerous abuse victims in lawsuits, said church officials apparently moved quickly to suspend the priest after learning, from an unidentified third party, that she was investigating him. Dallas Diocese officials have permanently barred a high-ranking priest from public ministry after verifying allegations that he had repeatedly molested an altar boy in the 1980s. Monsignor Richard E. Johnson, 76, was suspended from St. Patrick Church in suburban Lake Highlands. . . Johnson had previously served as secretary to the bishop, chancellor and vicar general for the diocese and may be the most prominent diocesan priest in Dallas to face such accusations, said Tahira Khan Merritt, an attorney for Johnson's accuser. Fort Worth Diocese Replacing Officials in Abuse Case Fort Worth's new Catholic bishop, under pressure to release records about clergy-abuse allegations, is replacing two top officials who have long handled such matters. During the lawsuit, the diocese surrendered records on seven other accused priests to the men's attorney, Tahira Khan Merritt. She said Friday that she could not discuss their contents because Judge Wade has not yet released the documents. But she did say that "Chancellor Wilson and Vicar General Schumacher, because of their key positions in the diocesan hierarchy, were central in the decision to hire Father Thomas Teczar in 1988 as well as assisting him in leaving the state of Texas while he was under investigation by law enforcement." 2 Announce Plans to Leave Diocese Posts Two longtime leaders of the Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese will step down July 1, Bishop Kevin W. Vann said Friday. Monsignor Joseph Schumacher and the Rev. Robert Wilson served the late Bishop Joseph P. Delaney and stepped into more active roles as his health failed. . . Tahira Khan Merritt, a Dallas lawyer who has represented at least 10 people in legal actions against the diocese, said in a statement that Wilson and Schumacher played a part in the decision to hire the Rev. Thomas Teczar. When the diocese's files are released, "the public can judge for themselves Schumacher and Wilson's involvement," Merritt said in a statement. Judge to Open Church Records on Priests in Sex-Abuse Cases A Tarrant County judge agreed Thursday to unseal some Fort Worth Catholic Diocese records about several priests who have been accused of sexually abusing children. Litigation against the Rev. Thomas Teczar, led by Dallas lawyer Tahira Khan Merritt, prompted Judge Wade to seal the records in the first place. Plaintiffs in that case argued that the Fort Worth Diocese covered up his alleged abuses as part of a broader pattern of concealment. Blinded By Faith? Documents Reveal Ft. Worth Bishop Aware of Priest's Past With the quiet rumble of tires over red brick streets, the priest slipped away from Ranger. A few hours before, the Eastland County sheriff had confronted him about the sexual abuse of young boys. It wasn't the first time such allegations had been made. This time, they would end the Rev. Thomas Teczar's career. Judge Declines to Dismiss Case on Rev. Teczar A Texas judge yesterday denied a request from the Catholic Dioceses of Worcester and Fort Worth, Texas, to dismiss a lawsuit brought by two men who allege they were sexually abused by the Rev. Thomas H. Teczar when they were teenagers. Tahira Khan Merritt, lawyer for John Doe II . . .said she was pleased with the judge’s decision "because it will give a Fort Worth jury an opportunity to hear what these men have to say." In her response to the motion from the two dioceses to dismiss the lawsuit, she maintained that Rev. Teczar had an "egregious pattern of sexual abuse" and that there was an "equally disturbing pattern of denial and cover-up by the Worcester and Fort Worth" dioceses. Vatican Paper a Key to Abuse Suits Is the 1962 Vatican document called Crimen Sollicitation is a blueprint for the cover-up of clergy abuse within the Catholic church, or is it merely an internal policy manual for handling certain kinds of abuses within the sacrament of confession? Lawyers are battling this issue out in the context of several civil lawsuits filed by alleged clergy abuse victims around the country. . . Ms. Khan Merrit and Mr. Shea said they believe that Crimen Sollicitationis is highly relevant because it demonstrates how men at the highest reaches of the Vatican told bishops to maintain secrecy in handling allegations of sexual abuse by clergy and authorized the transfer of priests who had been accused. Man Sues Ft. Worth Diocese for Hiring Rev. Teczar A civil suit has been filed in Texas by a 27-year-old man who said he was sexually abused in the early 1990s by the Rev. Thomas H. Teczar, a priest of the Worcester Catholic Diocese who relocated to Ranger, Texas. Free attorney consultation: Contact Dallas lawyer Tahira Khan Merritt today for a free consultation about your child sexual abuse case. |
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- Child Sexual Abuse in Schools
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