Church and Priest Sexual Abuse
For more than 20 years, our nationally-recognized trial attorneys have been working hand-in-hand with survivors and their families to bring justice to victims of sexual abuse by clergy and church members in Washington and across the United States.
In Washington, no law firm has more experience in helping survivors of child sexual abuse. Since the early 2000s, we have represented more than 200 men and women who were sexually abused as children by the Seattle Archdiocese’s priests and other clerics. As a result, we have obtained in excess of $120 million in settlements and verdicts in cases involving the Seattle Archdiocese all over Western Washington.
For the list of priests and clergy who the Seattle Archdiocese has identified as “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse, click here.
Our Seattle Archdiocese and Washington Catholic Clergy Cases & Results
$12.125 Million to Sexual Abuse Survivors
The Seattle Archdiocese agreed to pay $12,125,000 to a group of men for sexual abuse they suffered as children at O’Dea High School, in Seattle, and Briscoe Memorial School, a former orphanage and boarding school in Kent, Washington. These men also received separate settlements from the Christian Brothers, a Catholic religious order who operated a number of the Archdiocese’s schools.
$8 Million jury Verdict in Catholic Sex Abuse Case
This was the largest verdict against a Catholic Church entity in Washington’s history. The jury found that our client was sexually abused on a weekly basis between 1961 and 1964 by Don Adamson, a teacher and principal at St. Benedict Catholic School in Seattle. The case was tried to verdict by PCVA partners Michael Pfau and Darrell Cochran.
Northwest Jesuits Settlement of $166 Million for Hundreds of Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims
The Society of Jesus, Oregon Province (commonly referred to as “the Jesuits”), paid $166 million to settle the claims of hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse. The claims spanned a 30-year period, from the 1950s to the 1980s, and included victims across a five-state region, which the Oregon Province covers, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
Our firm represented 122 of the victims. Attorney Michael Pfau was heavily involved in negotiating the settlement of our clients claims in the Bankruptcy proceedings for $40 Million.
Seattle Archdiocese and Christian Brothers pay $14.1 Million to Settle Child Sex Abuse Cases
The Seattle Archdiocese and New York based Christian Brothers paid $14,150,000 to a group of men who were sexually abused as children at a now defunct Catholic school and home for boys in Kent, Washington. The Catholic orphanage, Briscoe Memorial School, was owned by the Seattle Archdiocese and staffed by the Christian Brothers. Each of the men were sexually abused at Briscoe during the 1950s and 1960s.
Seattle Archdiocese Pays $9.1 Million to Settle Sex Abuse Cases
The Seattle Archdiocese paid $9,150,000 to settle the claims of our clients who were sexually abused as young girls by parish priest Father Michael Cody.
Cody sexually abused some of the women while he was assigned to St. Charles Parish in Burlington, Washington, from 1968 to 1972, and the others while he was assigned to Assumption Parish in Bellingham, Washington, from 1972 to 1975.
Seattle Archdiocese Pays $6.9 Million to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims
The Seattle Archdiocese paid $6,975,000 to settle our clients’ claims that its priests sexually abused them as children. All of the priests were identified by the Seattle Archdiocese on a list of priests it says have had “credible allegations” of sexually abusing minors: Father James McGreal, Father Paul Conn, Father Theodore Marmo, Father John Forrester, Father Thomas Pitsch, and Father Michael Cody.
Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Force the Christian Brothers to Declare Bankruptcy
The Congregation of Christian Brothers, a Catholic religious order who ran a number of the Seattle Archdiocese’s schools, filed for bankruptcy protection over allegations that its members sexually abused scores of children in the United States and Canada. While the Christian Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection in New York, the majority of the active lawsuits in the United States were filed by our clients who were abused at schools and orphanages the Christian Brothers operated in Washington.
Seattle Archdiocese and Franklin Pierce School District Pay $2.45 Million to Settle Sex Abuse Lawsuit
The Seattle Archdiocese and the Franklin Pierce School District agreed to jointly pay $2.45 million to our client who was sexually abused as a child at Parkland Elementary, a now-closed grade school in the Tacoma area.
Our client, identified by the initials “D.W.” to protect his identity, was sexually abused in the early 1980s at Parkland Elementary by former teacher Edward Courtney. D.W. was in the sixth grade when Courtney abused him.
Seattle Archdiocese Pays $1.3 Million to Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
The Seattle Archdiocese paid $1.3 million to settle the claim of our client who was sexually abused in the early 1980s by Edward Courtney, a former teacher and principal at two schools in the Archdiocese’s private school system.
$1.2 Million settlement for Seattle Archdiocese Sex Abuse Case
Our client, a 63-year-old Sedro Woolley woman, settled her case for $1,200,000, just days before closing arguments were to begin in the two-week jury trial. Our client was sexually abused in the late-1960s and early-1970s by former priest Michael Cody, who served as pastor of St. Charles Parish in Burlington, Washington, and Assumption Parish in Bellingham, Washington, during that time. The Seattle Archdiocese admitted at trial that it was liable for the abuse.
Seattle Archdiocese and Christian Brothers pay $2.5 Million to settle two sex abuse cases
The Seattle Archdiocese and the Christian Brothers paid $2.5 million to two men who alleged they were sexually abused as children by pedophile Brother Edward Courtney. The Seattle Archdiocese and the Christian Brothers have settled previous child sex abuse cases involving allegations of abuse by Edward Courtney, a former teacher and administrator who worked for the Seattle Archdiocese and the Christian Brothers for a total of $6.150 million.
Seattle Archdiocese Settles Sex Abuse Claim Against St. John Vianney
The Seattle Archdiocese settled a sex abuse claim for $635,000 by our client who was sexually abused in the mid-1980s by Jim Funnell, a former youth minister at St. John Vianney parish in Bothell/Kirkland.
News Related to Our Seattle Archdiocese Cases
Seattle Archdiocese Christian Brothers Reach $7 Million Settlement
Seattle Archdiocese Settles Abuse Lawsuits for $12 Million
Catholic Church Abuse: Seattle Archdiocese pays $1.3 Million to Settle Case
Seattle Archdiocese and Pierce County School District Settle Suit Over Pedophile Priest for $2.45 Million
When Can Someone Bring a Lawsuit for Clergy Abuse?
In most states, someone who was sexually abused as a child may be able to bring a civil lawsuit against an entity that allowed the abuse to happen. Sometimes the lawsuit is based on the failure of the entity to protect them while the victim was in their care, custody, or control, like a child who is abused at a parish or church, or a child who is abused at school. Other times the lawsuit is based on the failure of the entity to prevent the perpetrator from abusing the child, like a priest who uses their position with a church to groom and to sexually abuse the child, or a teacher who uses their position with a school to do the same.
Most states have a “statute of limitations” that places a time limit on when you can bring a civil lawsuit. These laws vary from state to state, and many states have changed these laws in the past few years to allow survivors to come forward later in life. You should not assume your claim is “too late” just because you were abused as a child.
PCVA has trial attorneys who are licensed in different states, including Washington, Oregon, California, New York, and New Jersey, and they have pursued claims for abuse victims in all of those states. You can contact us for a free, confidential consultation so we can explain your legal rights.
How PCVA Can Help
If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a clergyman or church volunteer, you need an attorney advocate on your side that understands what you’re going through. Our trial attorneys have helped many clients successfully navigate the legal process to recover compensation.
When you’re ready, our lawyers are here to listen and help. Talk to a lawyer for free by completing our online form or calling us at (253) 777-0799 or (206) 462-4334. All conversations are confidential.