Seven more lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Lafayette over clergy sex abuse
Nov 20, 2024
Former Catholic priest Gilbert Gauthe, who was convicted of child sexual abuse, is escorted out of the Lafayette Parish Courthouse after a hearing in 2000.
Seven lawsuits were filed in recent weeks against the Diocese of Lafayette by people alleging they were sexually abused by clergy when they were children, the latest wave of lawsuits since a June court ruling giving abuse victims more time to seek restitution.
Four of the seven lawsuits were filed in November, one on Nov. 12, in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette. Three others were filed Oct. 29.
One of the lawsuits, while not specifically naming him, appears to refer to alleged abuse by the former Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, believed to be the first priest in the United States to be openly accused and prosecuted for child sexual abuse. He served various church parishes in the Acadiana area. The lawsuit states that the defendant is living in San Leon, Texas, the last reported residence of Gauthe.
There are currently about 20 lawsuits pending against the Diocese of Lafayette and its churches filed since June, all related to alleged sexual abuse by church officials.
In June, the state Supreme Court ruled that victims of clerical sexual abuse have another three years to file lawsuits, regardless of when the abuse occurred, leading to a new round of lawsuits against the diocese and its churches for employing priests with a proclivity for abusing children and for not reporting the abuse.
The names of the defendants, churches and accused clergy are not disclosed in the latest lawsuits.
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