To Bishop Kevin Britt and Msgr. John Zenz
FROM: Bishop Bernard J. Harrington
DATE: September 22, 1997
RE: Sexual Harassment Case/Fr. Lou Grandpre/St. Paul of Tarsus
I met Lou Grandpre at the East Macomb Vicariate Meeting today and he was quite “down”. He has informed me that things have gone very poorly in the sexual harassment case. He has reported that we have lost the mediation process from last August with the recommended settlement of about $160,000.00.
Lou feels that our case was not well presented for the mediators. For example: the petitioner had a detailed psychiatric report on the devastation of this whole thing to the victim and no psychiatric evaluation was done by our side. That the documentation done by the opposition was twice the amount of documentation that was presented by our side and thirdly the opposition present three lawyers (one a woman) to the hearing, while our group was only presented by John Cassen. Even Karen Piper, who had been working on the case, did not show up at the hearing.
Lou feels that he and his staff are totally devastated. That it would be advantageous to settle it as quickly out of court as possible. He feels that if the case goes to court the settlement might even be higher. As well as the public scandal that would be involved.
My concerns are:
1) Is the Cardinal aware of the present situation of the court case?
2) Who is the Diocesan contact person involved in this case? I have not received any documentation on this case since the day it was turned over Karen Piper. I don’t know who is receiving documentation from the Diocesan lawyers.
3) Should there be an evaluation whether this case should be settled quickly and how this can take place and who are the persons that are to be involved in that decision?
I think that maybe we should talk about this so that we can be proactive on this case rather than just finding ourselves at the end of a settlement. Please advise.
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