MI--Group praises lawsuit vs. abusive Catholic tutor
For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015
Statement by SNAP leader Bill McAlary (616-514-0654, [email protected])
A young man who was sexually abused as a youngster by a tutor is filing a civil lawsuit against Catholic officials. We applaud his courage and are glad that he’s taking steps to expose those who ignored or concealed these heinous crimes. We’re especially grateful because too often, child sex crimes by women against boys and girls are minimized.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/12/teen_sex_assault_victim_files.html
We strongly suspect that evidence will prove Grand Rapids Catholic church and school officials knew or should have known about Abigail Simon’s six months of abuse perpetrated on this boy. We agree with attorney Ven Johnson who says the diocese is "in the dark ages" about the sexual abuse of kids.
We hope that anyone who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or cover ups in Grand Rapids – by clergy, teachers or staff – to call police, protect kids and expose those commit or conceal horrific crimes against the vulnerable.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Teen sex assault victim files lawsuit against tutor, Catholic schools, diocese
by Barton Deiters - [email protected] - December 02, 2015 at 6:32 PM
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The 15-year-old victim of sexual assault by Catholic school tutor Abigail Simon is 18 now and has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $25,000 from Simon, the private school system, the diocese and several administrators.
The now 18-year-old graduate of Catholic Central High School is represented by Detroit-based Ven Johnson – a so-called "super lawyer" and one-time partner of Geofrey Fieger. The suit was filed in Kent County District Court.
Johnson says the goal of the suit is to . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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