The Monterey County Herald posted a news story about a recent settlement in a clergy abuse case against the Diocese of Monterey in California.
The case settled Friday with the diocese's agreement to pay a former Salinas man $1.2 million dollars for the childhood clergy abuse that he survived.
According to the lawsuit, Reverend Juan Guillien sexually abused "John Doe" beginning in 1988 in Arizona. After the boy's family moved to Salinas, Guillien visited the family often, even sleeping with the child in his bed. Reverend John Velez began abusing the plaintiff in 1991 at St. Mary of the Nativity Church in Salinas. Strangely enough, it was Guillien who reported the abuse Velez was inflicting upon the child to church officials after Guillien was told about it.
Guillien is currently in prison in Arizona for abuse he inflicted on other boys. Velez' whereabouts are not known, but he is believed to be still practicing as a priest in Latin America.
Sexual abuse has far-reaching effects on survivors and their families. If you have been sexually abused by a member of the Catholic clergy, please contact an experienced clergy abuse attorney at the Zalkin Law Firm. Their sexual abuse lawyers have helped numerous individuals receive the justice they deserve.
