In a criminal child sex abuse trial of four current and former priests, it was revealed that the Philadelphia Archdiocese delayed reporting six priests who were caught with child pornography to law enforcement officials for years.
If a civil Philadelphia Archdiocese sex abuse lawsuit is ever brought, this may be damning evidence that the archdiocese was negligent or careless in keeping children away from potential predators.
Prosecutors say that the Philadelphia Archdiocese waited until just last month to tell law enforcement officials that some of its priests were caught with the child porn, "despite knowing years ago about their deviant and possibly illegal activities," reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.
It is not clear if the priests remained in active ministry while the archdiocese kept this information secret, prosecutors say. Based on the report, it appears that the priests only possessed the porn, and did not actually film it or involve children under their care.
The archdiocese is now dealing with criminal charges of failing, or delaying, to report the child pornography. In addition, if it is revealed that a child was abused by a priest in the time between the discovery of the abuse and the reporting of the abuse, the archdiocese could be sued for a huge sum in a Philadelphia Archdiocese sex abuse lawsuit.
The archdiocese is expected to take some reasonable steps to keep the children under its care safe from predators. This doesn't mean that the archdiocese is strictly liable for all harm, but when it becomes aware of an obvious danger (like a priest caught with child porn), and fails to take steps to remove the danger (like removing the priest from active ministry), the archdiocese could be exposed to civil liability as well as criminal liability.
Related Resources:
- Find a Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
- Sex Offenders and Sex Offenses: Overview (FindLaw)
- Philip Gaughan Claims Sex Abuse Against Philly Archdiocese (FindLaw's Philadelphia Personal Injury Law Blog)
- Ask A Question about Personal Injury now (FindLaw Answers)
ShareThis
