Sexual abuse cases continue to be filed against the Congregation of Christian Brothers in North America, with the nexus of the cases filed in Seattle, due to the actions of Edward Courtney and others. Because the Christian Brothers operate dozens of schools in all regions of the U.S., Canada, and also Australia and Ireland, it is likely that there are more victims of child abuse that have not yet come forward. Victims of Edward Courtney claim that the Christian Brothers knew of Courtney’s long history of sexually abusing boys, but they refused to turn him over to police, and instead simply moved him to different schools, where he continued molesting boys.
It is possible that there are more victims of sexual abuse of physical abuse at Catholic Schools operated by the Christian Brothers. If you or someone you know has been abused, do not hesitate to contact a lawyer today. You may still have time to file a sexual abuse lawsuit and receive compensation.
Victims of sexual and physical abuse have accused the Seattle Archdiocese and the Christian Brothers of failing to stop known sexual predators from victimizing dozens of children over several decades.
The most prolific pedophile appears to be a former Brother named Edward Courtney, who was hired to work at O’Dea High School in Seattle though the 1960s and 1970s. Though there were many accusations that Courtney was abusing children in Illinois and Michigan, he continued to teach at schools run by the Christian Brothers. In 1974, he was transferred to O’Dea, where he was again accused of molesting boys. After being sent to sexual-abuse treatment, he was allowed to return, and the Christian Brothers organization moved him to several other schools. He later became principle of St. Alphonsus Parish School in Seattle. While teaching at a public school in Othello, he was accused of a felony for indecent liberties with a child, and was convicted of the felony. Advocates for the victims of abuse claim that the administrators had a large amount of knowledge about Courtney’s history of sexually abusing boys, but did nothing to prevent him from having access to boys.
In 2008, a Skagit County man who said Courtney sexually abused him in the 1980s was awarded a $1.1 million settlement with the Seattle Archdiocese and the Christian Brothers, when the man was a student at St. Alphonsus.
Six other men have come forward, accusing Courtney of abuse at O’Dea High School, St. Alphonsus, and an elementary school in Othello.
The men who were victims of abuse claim that the Christian Brothers knew Courtney was sexually abusing students, but refused to report him to police, and instead shuffled him through several different all-male schools. Though Courtney was sent to a Canadian sexual-abuse rehabilitation facility in the 1970s, his supervisors allowed him continued access to boys upon his return, and the molestation continued.
Courtney, now 75 years old, owns a home in Burien, WA, and splits his time between Burien and Hawaii.
The Christian Brothers filed for bankruptcy in April 2011, and is the second Catholic organization to file for bankruptcy in the United States following a wave of sexual abuse scandals. Advocates for the victims of child abuse say that this move for bankruptcy is intended to protect the organization’s financial assets in Rome and stop the number of sexual abuse cases that victims can bring against the organization, because it will impose a deadline for filing a lawsuit. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, contact a lawyer immediately. You may have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit and receive the compensation you deserve.
We Can Help – Christian Brothers Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
There are over 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the United States today. One out of every four girls and one out of every six boys experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18. And, one out of every five children will be solicited for sexual abuse on the internet. In most cases, the victims of childhood sexual abuse do not report the abuse at all or don’t report it until many years after the abuse happens.
While there are many legal barriers to prosecuting the sexual predators that inflict this abuse, our lawyers have worked to overcome those barriers in the Legislature and in the courts. Senator Martha Escutia (Ret.) and Senator Joseph Dunn (Ret.) were heavily involved in passing California legislation that significantly increased the time for victims of abuse to sue their sexual predators and those that employed the sexual predators. This new legislation allowed literally thousands of victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits (and receive significant recoveries) that were otherwise barred by the former statute of limitations.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
