Suit Claims Abortion, Suicidal Thoughts Followed Sex Abuse By Priest
Woman Says Priest Molested Her When She Was 14, Pregnant
POSTED: Friday, September 30, 2005
MIAMI -- Another lawsuit has been filed against the Archdiocese of Miami in connection with alleged sexual abuse of a child by a priest.
The suit alleges that in the early 1970s, a pregnant 14-year-old girl went to a church-run clinic for help in giving her unborn baby up for adoption. She says she was sent to a priest for counseling, and that while she was in his office at the now-closed clinic, he pulled down her pants and underwear and used his fingers to penetrate her vagina until a nurse walked into the room.
The woman says that she left the clinic severely traumatized, considered suicide, and concealed her pregnancy for several months. She said when she was five months pregnant, her mother forced her to go to New York to terminate the pregnancy. The procedure left her unable to have children, according to her lawyers.
The woman is being represented by Jeff Herman of Herman and Mermelstein in Miami.
The suit is seeking a jury trial and more than $10 million in damages.
The suit names the archdiocese and Catholic Charities because the woman said she does not know the identity of the priest.
On Friday afternoon, members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) will hand out flyers asking for information about the priest and the clinic in Legion Park across from the clinic at the corner of Biscayne Blvd. and Northeast 66th Street.
Copyright 2005 by
Local10.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.