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2 Raped by Minister Are Awarded $11.45 Million
New York Times ^ | May 19, 2007 | Bruce Lambert

Posted on 05/19/2007 12:11:50 PM PDT by Zakeet

GARDEN CITY, N.Y., May 18 — In one of the largest judgments in a child sexual abuse suit against the Roman Catholic Church, a Long Island jury on Friday awarded a total of $11.45 million in damages to a young man and woman who were repeatedly raped by a youth minister as teenagers starting in the late 1990s.

The jury deliberated for seven days before finding that the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the sixth-largest in the United States; a church in East Meadow; and its pastor were negligent by hiring and retaining the man who abused the plaintiffs over a period of three years.

[Snip]

Both the woman, 23, and the man, 22, testified during the three-week trial that they suffered anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares and difficulties in their careers and in social and romantic relationships as a result of being raped and sodomized by the youth minister, Matthew Maiello.

[Snip]

The church’s lawyer, Brian R. Davey, argued that Mr. Maiello was totally at fault, church officials never knew about his crimes and they should not be blamed when the victims’ families saw nothing amiss.

[Snip]

The jury attributed 70 percent of the blame to Mr. Maiello, who did not contest the suit and has few assets.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholic; juryaward; rockville; sex
This lawsuit was caused by the actions by a church employee and not a Catholic priest. According to the article,

"The diocese, comprising 1.4 million Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, is one of the nation’s largest and wealthiest. It was the target of a scathing Suffolk County grand jury report in 2003 that found years of sexual abuse complaints that were ignored and covered up.

Since then the diocese has imposed new safeguards, including background checks on employees and volunteers and preventive education for them and for church members."


1 posted on 05/19/2007 12:11:54 PM PDT by Zakeet
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To: Zakeet

Thank you for pointing that out.


2 posted on 05/19/2007 12:18:58 PM PDT by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton (To those who believe the world was safer with Saddam, get treatment for that!)
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To: Zakeet

Thank you for pointing that out.


3 posted on 05/19/2007 12:19:01 PM PDT by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton (To those who believe the world was safer with Saddam, get treatment for that!)
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To: Zakeet

Thank you for pointing that out.


4 posted on 05/19/2007 12:19:01 PM PDT by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton (To those who believe the world was safer with Saddam, get treatment for that!)
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To: Zakeet
I'd say the jury disagrees with you.

70% was attributed to the perp.

30% to the church hierarchy for failing to supervise and/or for covering up.

5 posted on 05/19/2007 12:26:25 PM PDT by Dinsdale
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To: Zakeet
Please change the title to read Lay Minister. As a Catholic, I know we don't have "ministers", we have priests. Other religions, having "ministers", may equate the use of minister to mean priest. We have enough bad priests, we don't need to be adding the lay peoples sins to the priests! thanks!
6 posted on 05/19/2007 12:30:25 PM PDT by blu (All grammar and punctuation rules are *OFF* for the "24" thread.)
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To: blu; Admin Moderator
Good point.

FWIW, it's the Time's headline - not mine.

7 posted on 05/19/2007 12:43:09 PM PDT by Zakeet (Be thankful we don't get all the government we pay for)
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To: Zakeet

Thanks, i knew it wasn’t your headline -those mods or wanna-bees would have taken you to task for changing it!


8 posted on 05/19/2007 12:47:21 PM PDT by blu (All grammar and punctuation rules are *OFF* for the "24" thread.)
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To: blu

Good point. In most Catholic Churches the person involed in this case would not be referred to as a minister.This is a typical N.Y.scam to get the public to think this person is some kind of priest.Is there anyone left who does not think the Times will put the most negative spin on any story affecting the Catholic Church?


9 posted on 05/19/2007 1:25:03 PM PDT by ardara
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To: Zakeet
Just a question:

If IBM hired a guy who raped and sodomized two of their employees, I wonder if the jury would think that IBM was 70 % at fault

Just a question

10 posted on 05/19/2007 2:19:14 PM PDT by Popman (New American Dream: Move to Mexican, cross the border, become an illegal. free everything)
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To: Popman
I wonder if the jury would think that IBM was 70 % at fault

Got my numbers mixed up

That should read 30 % at fault

11 posted on 05/19/2007 2:20:33 PM PDT by Popman (New American Dream: Move to Mexican, cross the border, become an illegal. free everything)
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To: Popman
It would depend on how IBM reacted on hearing of it.

If there was anything like a cover up they would certainly be held accountable.

12 posted on 05/19/2007 2:23:59 PM PDT by Dinsdale
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To: Dinsdale
Other witnesses said that Father Haggerty hired Mr. Maiello even though he knew about Mr. Maiello’s “boundary” and “touching” issues and that Mr. Maiello’s supervisor at another church had said that he could not give a positive recommendation.

looks like the church knew there was a potential problem

I guess they pay the full boat

13 posted on 05/19/2007 2:34:04 PM PDT by Popman (New American Dream: Move to Mexican, cross the border, become an illegal. free everything)
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To: Zakeet
Mr. Maiello, now 33, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to raping and sodomizing four minors, including the two who sued. He served two years in prison and now lives in Connecticut.

Stop the presses, this POS got TWO STINKING YEARS

Throw the judge in jail

14 posted on 05/19/2007 2:35:16 PM PDT by Popman (New American Dream: Move to Mexican, cross the border, become an illegal. free everything)
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To: Popman

For raping and sodomizing four minors he was sentenced to 2 years in prison? I don’t understand that — how could that be?


15 posted on 05/19/2007 3:01:06 PM PDT by Continental Soldier
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To: Continental Soldier
I don’t understand that — how could that be?

I don't know.

Weak case? Liberal panty wearing judge?

Either way, this guy should be taking a dirt nap

16 posted on 05/19/2007 3:11:20 PM PDT by Popman (New American Dream: Move to Mexican, cross the border, become an illegal. free everything)
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To: ardara
Is there anyone left who does not think the Times will put the most negative spin on any story affecting the Catholic Church?

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. John 15:19

According to Jesus, you should consider the Times' actions a compliment.

17 posted on 05/19/2007 3:15:19 PM PDT by Zakeet (Be thankful we don't get all the government we pay for)
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To: blu

Thanks, i knew it wasn’t your headline -those mods or wanna-bees would have taken you to task for changing it!


As they would have been right to do so. Bad as it is, it is the headline and needs to be put down correctly. The fault lies with the Times.

Well, them and the leftist infiltration of the Church, especially here in America.

I want to point out one thing, specifically for any leftists who might be perusing FR. It wasn’t Church doctrine for priests to molest kids, usually boys. The abuse didn’t go on because of any kind of Church ritual. The abuse was due to homosexual infiltration of the Church. They saw that they would be afforded levels of trust with the public, and their children.

It’s a homosexual tendency to molest kids, not a Catholic one.


18 posted on 05/19/2007 3:46:11 PM PDT by kenth (I got tired of my last tagline...)
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To: Zakeet

Does the church excommunicate these rapists?


19 posted on 05/19/2007 3:55:29 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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