West Virginia AG introduces new tactic in fight to protect children from sex assaults by Catholic clergy, files civil suit for violation of consumer protection laws ( pizzagate )

submitted by Factfinder2

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/west-virginia-ag-sues-disgraced-bishop-diocese-over-sex-abuse-cover-up

Archive: https://archive.is/kTsHz

March 19, 2019

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (ChurchMilitant.com) - In an unprecedented legal move, the state of West Virginia has filed suit against Catholic authorities over sex abuse cover-up.

On Tuesday, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced a civil action against the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and its disgraced former bishop, Michael J. Bransfield, for allegedly "deceiving consumers and claiming their schools were safe when they were employing credibly accused pedophiles."

Diocesan officials are accused of violating West Virginia consumer protection laws by marketing Catholic schools as safe for children even as they "chose to cover up and conceal arguably criminal behavior of child sexual abuse."

The announcement follows six months of investigation into whether "Catholic priests who were active or had been employed in West Virginia had been accused of sexually abusing children."

Morrisey launched the inquiry in September after the Pennsylvania grand jury report revealed that 301 priests — including one who had worked in Wheeling-Charleston — were responsible for abusing more than 1,000 children across the Keystone State.

The suit notes that "although the state has not fully completed its investigation" — which it blamed in part on "the lack of cooperation from the Diocese" — justice officials have learned that Wheeling-Charleston "has engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices by failing to disclose to consumers of its educational and recreational services that it employed priests and laity who have sexually abused children, including an admitted abuser who the Diocese nevertheless allowed to work in a Catholic elementary school."

Tuesday's announcement is the latest in a barrage of bad news for Bp. Bransfield, who in September resigned in disgrace amid credible allegations he sexually harassed adult males.

According to the lawsuit, Wheeling-Charleston officials "knew of sexual abuse complaints against priests of the Diocese, but, did not disclose the conduct to criminal law authorities or to parents paying for educational or recreational services."

The complaint alleges, for example, that after confessing to homosexually abusing a student at St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary High School in Vienna, Fr. Patrick Condron was sent away for "evaluation and treatment" at two different facilities. After these stints away, without notifying parents, the diocese reassigned Fr. Condron to Wheeling Catholic Elementary School, where he worked from 1998 to 2001.

…

"Parents who pay and entrust the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese and its schools to educate and care for their children deserve full transparency," Morrisey said Tuesday. "Our investigation reveals a serious need for the diocese to enact policy changes that will better protect children, just as this lawsuit demonstrates our resolve to pursue every avenue to effectuate change as no one is above the law."

Observers are suggesting West Virginia's action could set a new precedent for combatting clerical sex abuse.

"This is the most that we've seen so far in terms of prosecution, in terms of someone in the higher levels of the hierarchy," said Marci Hamilton of CHILD USA. "This is the first time we've seen a comprehensive claim against a whole diocese and a bishop."

Tuesday's announcement is the latest in a barrage of bad news for Bp. Bransfield, who in September resigned in disgrace amid credible allegations he sexually harassed adult males.

After investigating the accusations, last week, Baltimore Abp. William Lori, apostolic administrator of Wheeling-Charleston, declared that Bransfield can no longer exercise his priestly function.

Bransfield is also being scrutinized over his close association with serial sexual predator Theodore McCarrick. The former West Virginia bishop was consecrated by McCarrick in 2005 and later served as president of the board of trustees for the Papal Foundation, a multi-million-dollar enterprise co-founded by McCarrick and wracked by scandal over its questionable grantmaking practices.

The suit: https://www.scribd.com/document/402388183/Diocese-Complaint#from_embed

carmencita

According to the lawsuit, Wheeling-Charleston officials "knew of sexual abuse complaints against priests of the Diocese, but, did not disclose the conduct to criminal law authorities or to parents paying for educational or recreational services."

COLLUSION. LE. Big Surprise. Wow. I also found this article in my IN BOX from Medical Kidnap I propose that many are just sick and tired of what many are allowing to happen to Our Children. Enough is Enough.

http://medicalkidnap.com/2019/03/15/montana-legislator-calls-for-1k-a-day-fines-and-jail-for-cps-workers-who-kidnap-children/

James White of Northwest Liberty News out of Montana recently interviewed Representative Rodney Garcia, who has proposed legislation to punish CPS workers who break the law and remove children from their homes needlessly.

Representative Garcia states: Child Protective Services do not protect the kids, they kidnap them.

He goes on to explain that CPS workers need a court order to remove children from their home, but routinely do not have court orders, and he wants to start fining them and putting them in jail when they take children out of homes without court orders.

(14 Min. Video of Interview Included)

Prior to interviewing Representative Garcia, James White interviewed Debbie Westlake from Butte, Montana, as an example of the kind of corruption in child welfare services in Montana.

In summary, Debbie had some medical issues and needed to be hospitalized for a couple weeks.

CPS took over and protected her son during her hospital stay. The visitation specialist who returned Debbie’s son, Robert, made advances on Debbie of a sexual nature, which she rebuked and then reported.

The worker was subsequently arrested for 4 counts of incest and was sentenced to 80 years in prison.

After another 5 hour hospital stay, CPS took Robert and he has not been home since.

Another Video of 11 Min. W/Debbie Is Included.

I applaud AG Morrisey going after Bransfield. These 2 men are heroes in my book. Many are sitting on the sidelines and not lifting a finger while parents are having to deal with horrible stealing and abusing of Their Children.

UPVOAT! Thank you for posting.

Factfinder2

Outrageous. Thank goodness Garcia is stepping up.

Something else is also rotten in Montana: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/20/498676414/montana-judge-faces-call-for-impeachment-after-incest-sentencing

October 20, 2016

A state district judge in Montana is facing a call for his impeachment after sentencing a man who admitted to raping his 12-year-old daughter to 60 days in jail, of which he will serve 43 [plus an $80 fine].

...

This is not the first time in Montana that outrage has followed a sentence for raping a child. Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court left intact a 10-year sentence for a man who raped a 14-year-old girl. He had originally been sentenced to just one month in prison by a different state judge.

carmencita

"A person convicted of the offense of incest where the victim is 12 years of age or younger and the offender 18 years of age or older at the time of offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for a term of 100 years and fined an amount not to exceed $50,000. The court may not suspend execution or defer imposition of the first 25 years of the sentence."

I would like to see this law in Utah. Imagine that. Incest? In Utah? Hmm. The cases would tie up the courts for years.

The family of that daughter is really screwed up. Evidently the female heads have been brainwashed into believing that the patriarch has certain rights. Also what are they teaching their sons? It's OK for your father to have raped your sister? I can't even wrap my head around their statements. That poor girl. May Our Lord Jesus watch over her. +

think-

That's pretty cool, lol. :-)

Factfinder2

Thank you! I tried without success to archive--this is a smart solution.

shewhomustbeobeyed

You're welcome. It was all that I could think of.

carmencita

Another wise decision made by our smart resident archiver! What an achievement.