by Leslie C. Griffin* An option to a civil case filed against a defendant is for the defendant to settle the case. There is a long trail of settlements to trace in the Massachusetts abuse cases. Settlements often occurred because of the statutes of limitations, and because Massachusetts lawyers...
Can You Bring a Civil Case Against Your Abusers and His Supporters? Maybe
by Leslie C. Griffin* In blog post 2 I told you about the criminal cases against church personnel. They also faced many civil cases, as the courts decided who should be held liable for abuse. The abuser, certainly. But what about the bishops, cardinals, archdiocese and dioceses who employed and...
Criminals Galore: Welcome to Massachusetts
by Leslie C. Griffin* In my first Massachusetts blog post, I explained why reporting requirements, statutes of limitations, and charitable immunity blocked many lawsuits against Catholic abusers. Although some abusers escaped liability because of those protections, many Catholics were convicted of...
An Introduction to Sexual Abuse in Catholic Massachusetts
by Leslie C. Griffin* Introduction Have you seen the movie? Spotlight won the Academy Award for best picture in 2015. That film tells the story of the Boston Globe reporters who investigated sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts. The abuse story was unbelievable, yet true. To...
John Doe B.P. v. Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
Leslie Griffin filed this amicus brief for BishopAccountability.org in support of Certiorari Petition. Made available by the Scholarly Commons @ UNLV Boyd Law: https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=scotusbriefs
JOHN DOE 122 V. MARIANIST PROVINCE OF THE UNITED STATES, and CHAMINADE COLLEGE PREPARATORY, INC.
Leslie Griffin filed this Amicus Brief in support of plaintiff suing employers who protect abusers. Made available by the Scholarly Commons @ UNLV Boyd Law: https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=courtbriefs
How Vermont Handled Abuse at Catholic St. Joseph’s Orphanage
by Leslie C. Griffin* Do You Know About the Orphanage? St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington, Vermont was open from 1854-1974. It closed a long time ago. Yet over the years since 1974, survivors of abuse by its Catholic nuns and priests came forward with their tales of orphanage horror. Today St....