Lawsuit Charges Sex Abuse Cover Up By Philadelphia Archdiocese
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A new civil suit claims a boy was sexually abused by two priests in the 1990s and leaders of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia conspired to cover it up.
The lawsuit filed in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court claims the victim, now 28, was molested by priests as a second grader at Sy. Aloysius in Bryn Mawr, Pa. and later as a freshman at Malvern Prep.
The victim's attorney, Marci Hamilton (above), says leaders of the archdiocese -- including Cardinal Justin Rigali and retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua -- worked together to hide the allegations.
"This is a case which charges there has been a conspiracy among the bishops, cardinals of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia," Hamilton says.
Further, the lawsuit says the archdiocese's victim assistance program was no assistance at all, but was instead just a mechanism to gather information for archdiocese attorneys to discredit victims.
The suit is seeking at least $50,000 in damages.
One of those named in this lawsuit is Msgr. William Lynn, who was among a group of priests and teachers charged last week in connection with a widening sex abuse probe in Philadelphia (see related story).
A spokesman for the archdiocese says the archdiocese has no comment on the suit at this time.
Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio
