Former Delbarton School student wins $5 million award in historic clergy sex assault trial

Delivering a historic verdict that could ripple through the religious and legal communities, a jury in Morristown awarded $5 million in compensatory damages on Oct. 8 to a former Delbarton School student who said he was sexually assaulted at the elite Catholic prep school in 1976.

The jury at the Morris County Courthouse was unanimous in determining that the assault had occurred, but found that the order of Benedictine monks that operates Delbarton was not negligent for allowing the Rev. Richard Lott to commit the abuse.

Nonetheless, jurors unanimously determined Lott to be 35% liable for the damages suffered by the plaintiff, who was 15 at the time of the incident; they declared the order 65% liable.

The trial, which has lasted five weeks, is not over. Jurors will reconvene on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to determine whether the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey should also pay punitive damages in the closely watched case.

The plaintiff, now in his 60s and identified in court papers only as "T.M.," sued Lott, Delbarton, the adjacent St. Mary's Abbey and the Benedictine order. Officials knew of allegations against Lott and other clergy for years, yet fostered a "culture of abuse" and "culture of silence" at the Morris Township school, T.M.'s attorneys argued.

The case was a milestone, the first of about three dozen sexual assault lawsuits against Delbarton to reach a jury, though the school has settled others. It's also believed to be the first case to go to trial among hundreds in New Jersey seeking damages from the Catholic Church for clergy sexual abuse claims.

Delbarton considering 'all legal options'

In a statement, Delbarton said it was "disappointed" with the verdict.

"The communities of St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School have genuine compassion for any victim of abuse," said the statement, attributed to Abbot Jonathan Licari, the order's administrator, and Father Michael Tidd, the school's headmaster. "However, we do not believe that the damages awarded in this case are either fair or reasonable, and our legal representatives are considering all legal options.

"The incident in question in this trial occurred fifty years ago, when modern safeguards did not exist at secular or religious schools or other youth-serving institutions. That fact cannot be an excuse, but it is a truth that must be reflected in the verdict," the statement said.

The defendants denied wrongdoing throughout the trial, pointing to a lack of witnesses presented to verify T.M.'s account of the assault by Lott in a campus maintenance barn. Lott, now 89, testified that he was assigned to say Mass at an off-campus church in Lakewood the night the abuse allegedly occurred.

T.M. and his attorneys declined to comment until the punitive phase is complete.

'Justice will prevail'

From the trial's start, the courtroom gallery was packed with the former student's supporters, many of whom identify as survivors of clergy sexual abuse, some at Delbarton. T.M. hugged his lawyers and some of those supporters as they left the courtroom on Wednesday.

“I am very proud that the victim stood his ground and decided to tell his story," said Mark Crawford, the New Jersey director for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Crawford, also a survivor of clergy sex abuse, was clearly emotional after hearing the verdict.

"This should send a powerful message to all institutions that they must take allegations seriously," he said. "Survivors should not be afraid to stand up and tell your truth, because justice will prevail."

Crawford was instrumental in pushing New Jersey to adopt a law, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2019, that extended the state's statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse and offered victims the ability to sue alleged abusers until age 55, or within seven years of their realization that the violations caused them harm. 

That law opened the door for countless former Delbarton students and others throughout the state to revisit their cases and consider litigation.

More: Delbarton School faces first sex abuse trial in Morristown. Many more may follow

What's next for Catholic Church, other victims?

T.M. first filed his lawsuit in 2017. Beyond the $5 million award, the stakes were high for the school and the church.

"Ultimately, the implications of a substantial award in this case would extend beyond the courtroom, hopefully reshaping long-overdue reform of how religious institutions in New Jersey and beyond respond to historical abuse allegations, engage with survivors, and implement meaningful safeguarding reforms," Crawford said in a previous interview.

Bill Crane Jr. and his twin brother filed a lawsuit in 2012 alleging they were abused at Delbarton. The Crane brothers settled their suits in 2018, when three similar cases were also settled. Publicity over the settlements led the order to send a letter to the school community acknowledging that 13 monks at St. Mary’s Abbey had been accused of abusing 30 people over three decades.

"Today’s verdict marks a new beginning in church history," Crane wrote in a text to the Daily Record. "We will witness a transfer of shame and guilt from a brave victim, finally putting the shame and guilt in its rightful place, on leaders past and present at Delbarton who knowingly misled an entire community and abused their power with lies in order to protect a culture of lies and crimes perpetrated on children."

Marc MacNaughton, a former Delbarton track coach who successfully sued the school, alleging he was fired for blowing the whistle on a former headmaster he accused of "inappropriate touching of students," called the jury decision a "historic moment, the first successful New Jersey [clergy sex abuse] trial against the Catholic Church," he said.

MacNaughton, who used his trial award to launch a legal career, said, "The abbey should be shut down, and Delbarton School should be run by lay professionals.

"I am overjoyed that T.M. had the courage to fight for nine years to bring the truth to light," he said. He was not part of T.M.'s legal team but attended the trial daily.

Delbarton and the order said they have adopted reforms to protect students.

"We create and maintain a safe environment through policies and procedures which are regularly reviewed and affirmed by Praesidium, the leading independent accrediting firm in the field of abuse prevention," their joint statement said. "Delbarton is one of only seven secondary schools in the United States to earn Praesidium accreditation and was recently reaccredited in September 2025."