Posted on 08/04/2004 6:33:33 PM PDT by sidewalk
Attorney John Aretakis said, "Bishop Hubbard, you cannot lead when you continue to mislead. You should be ashamed of yourself."
Aretakis is turning his fight against the Albany Diocese into a federal court matter. He's suing Bishop Hubbard and the entire diocese under a federal RICO action. It's a type of case usually reserved for organized crime, but now Aretakis is accusing the Bishop of criminal conspiracy and a pattern of criminal cover-up.
"I've accused Bishop Hubbard of a long-standing pattern of acting to protect from our civil and criminal laws, predatory priests of both children and vulnerable adults," Aretakis said.
Aretakis is suing on behalf of his client, Steven Hall. Hall is seeking $2.5 million in damages for abuses he said he suffered up until 2002 from Father David Tressic, a former priest at Our Sacred Heart Church in Gloversville.
"When he would buy me drugs or when I was asleep, Father Tressic would perform sexual acts on me without my consent," Hall said.
Aretakis said Tressic is just one of many priests Bishop Hubbard has protected from prosecution. The diocese however, issued this statement concerning Aretakis' latest lawsuit.
It said: "Aretakis' continued public posturing distracts from legitimate needs of real victims and work that the Albany Diocese and others are doing." It went on to say: "In every matter decided by a judge, Mr. Aretakis' lawsuits have been dismissed."
Aretakis said he continues to be displeased with Mary Jo White's independent investigation of the Bishop, which cleared him of any wrongdoing. Aretakis also said he hopes to one day see Bishop Hubbard on the stand, answering these charges.
Ping
And this one will be as well.
More grandstanding from the lawyer who simply has a vendetta against Hubbard.
I thought RICO involved proving a pattern of behavior? Aretakis is suing the diocese for the actions of one priest on behalf of one client.
What makes this RICO?
yeah i agree
i dont know much about rico but dont you need more people than just one?
i think this will be thrown out too.
The Bishop needs to stop the coverups.
I read where the bill was $2,200,000.00. I've thought from the beginning that the sexual abuse suits were a very innovative way to transfer Church money to a certain party through trial lawyers.
Your quote was "What makes this RICO ? My opinion is that Mr. Aretakis the attorney for the clergy abuse survivors has no choice but to try the RICO option, since there has been on going CORRUPTION with in both the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese and Local Government....
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