Steubenville Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorneys
Many children and young adults are baptized into the Roman Catholic Church based on teachings and edicts to build a strong religious community. These young parishioners are taught to accept the belief of Jesus Christ as their Savior and stay true to their values through the teachings of the Vatican, Pope Francis, bishop, parish priest, and other religious leaders.
Children and young people seek enlightenment to deepen their commitment and use confession to cleanse away their sins. Unfortunately, many clergy members abuse the power they were given by the Catholic Church to harm innocent souls through sexual abuse.
Steubenville Dioceses Sexual Assault Lawyers
The compassionate attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC are dedicated advocates for innocent victims sexually assaulted by religious leaders in the Diocese of Steubenville. We ensure our clients’ rights are protected and handle cases in all Ohio counties, including Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, and Washington.
If you, or a loved one, were the victim of sexual misconduct by a clergy member in an Ohio diocese, contact a clergy abuse attorney from our law firm today. Let us discuss all your legal options, so you best understand how to move forward. We will listen to your horrific story in a confidential, safe environment.
Our legal team will stand by your side, seek justice, and hold Church officials, predatory priests, and local parish financially and legally accountable. Time is as of the essence. All necessary documents must be filed before the Ohio statute of limitations expires.
US Bishops Finally Take Action to Eliminate Child Sexual Abuse
Recently, the United States Catholic Bishops petitioned the Vatican for additional guidance on how to handle sexual misconduct cases in dioceses throughout the nation, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville.
Some reports indicate that nearly four out of every ten Americans recognize that inappropriate sexual conduct by a priest or deacon remains an ongoing problem. These individuals believe that the Catholic Church failed to turn over evidence to civil authorities when accusations of sexually abusing minors are deemed credible.
For well over twenty years, lawsuits involving sexual abuse survivors who were harmed by religious leaders have dominated the headlines. Numerous news articles revealed that Church officials often failed to release the names of clergy with allegations of sexually abusing children.
This devastating practice sheds a terrible light on the world’s largest religious organization. Fortunately, in recent years, many child abuse survivors have stepped forward, taking legal action and filed civil lawsuits against their abuser and the Roman Catholic Church to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable.
The Indicators of Child Sex Abuse are Not Always Apparent
For nearly seven decades, the Roman Catholic Church has faced serious allegations of child sexual abuse that remains a global problem. In recent years, the incident rate of sexual abuse and victimization has shown to be significantly higher in young males compared to underaged girls. Nearly every case involving sexual molestation in the Roman Catholic Church has been perpetrated by a priest, deacon, or other religious leaders that the victim knew.
The Roman Catholic Church rarely notified the local District Attorney’s Office or law enforcement officers of what happened to ensure there is an investigation. Because of that, the indicators of child sex abuse are not always evident to the victim’s family members or friends. Usually, the victim will remain silent because their abuser scared them into silence using intimidation, fear, or personal threats.
However, family members and friends might be able to identify the symptoms of sexual assault in a loved one who displays:
- Unexpected changes in their emotional and mental behaviors
- A specific change in their behavior that might involve a diminishing performance at school, outward aggression, or bedwetting
- Discomfort or pain the victim feels in the genital or anal area
- Unexplained fear or sense of intimidation when a specific individual is around
- Withdrawal from others
- Secret of behaviors
- Increased sexual interests, especially in young children
Not all signs of sexual assault listed above are proof that the victim was sexually molested. However, if you suspect that sexual molestation occurred, you must take immediate legal action. Speak to Church officials and the local police to discuss what happened. If neither organization provides an immediate response, talk to a personal injury attorney who specializes in sex abuse victimization cases.
Recognize that your loved one may never speak up and discuss the abuse. However, if the child does talk, make sure to give him or her your undivided attention by listening to what they say in a confidential setting. Start the conversation by believing what they say and take steps to validate their accusations through investigation and questioning. Always be their advocate.
Diocese of Steubenville Slow to Comply with Bishop Conference Rules
In 2014, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops enacted rules and regulations that all dioceses and parishes must follow when handling cases of sexual molestation. The Bishops have been working on better regulations for almost twenty years.
Nearly two decades ago, the Diocese of Steubenville failed to protect victims of abusive priests who sexually assaulted their prey. The Church did not run background checks on religious leaders, church workers, and volunteers. They failed to provide employees and educational programs on how to prevent child abuse. At the time, the then Bishop Daniel Conlon stated that the Diocese was working hard on the issue.
However, a spokesman of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) stated there was no excuse for Church officials did not conduct background checks on employees working at Catholic Youth Conferences that attracted minors to the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
New Names Added to the Clergy Abusers List
In 2019, the Steubenville Diocese publicly identified over a dozen religious leaders with credible allegations of sexual misconduct. Church officials had placed sixteen priests on administrative leave and removed them from their active duties.
The additional dozen sexual molesters on their updated list had spent time in the Steubenville Diocese. These twelve publicly identified sexual molesters included:
- Deacon Rosendo Decal
- Reverend Carl Peltz
- Father Bertolucci
- Reverend Pliauplis
- Father Schlueter
- Reverend Maloney
- Father Tiesi
- Mark Froehlich
- Reverend Inghilterra
- Father Maguire
- Friar Mulkern
- Sister Zuccarell
There is limited information from Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton of the Diocese’s Child Protection Review Board that list dates, the names of priests, parishes, and the survivors of sexual abuse.
The sexual abuse advocacy organization believes that publicly revealing any available list of clergy members with credible allegations of sexually assaulting minors could help other survivors to step forward. The updated information could be necessary if the priest or religious leader worked in another community, dioceses, or state at any time during their career.
While the Vatican has worked on provided guidance to the Diocese on what to do when handling sexual molestation cases, it may take decades more before the crisis is resolved.
Hiring a Steubenville Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorney
Our team of abusive injury attorneys understands the tactics the Roman Catholic Church uses to protect their priests and not help their victims. Only recently have Church officials spoken publicly to their parishioners, congregation, local law enforcement, and the public of how there is a sexual assault crisis existing in the parish or diocese.
The Ohio sexual molestation injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC understand comprehensive Ohio tort laws that whole religious organizations and predatory priests accountable for their actions. If you are a clergy abuse survivor, harmed by a Diocese of Steubenville religious leader, we can help. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757.
Schedule a no-obligation free, case consultation. Allow us to listen to your story, discuss the merits of your case, and provide various pathways to obtain the financial compensation you and your family deserve.
Our law firm accepts all cases involving any priest, seminarian, deacon, diocesan officials, and other spiritual leaders from any diocese or religious order. Their status can be in “active ministry,” retired from the priesthood, laicized (defrocked), whereabouts unknown, on a leave of absence, or deceased.