Two new civil complaints have been filed against Santa Barbara, California's St. Anthony Seminary, reports The Santa Barbara Independent. The complaints allege that two former seminary students were sexually assaulted over 30 years ago by former friar Dave Johnson. The situation could get complex, as the statute of limitations in California could have been passed; however, it is possible that the Supreme Court of California could rule that the complaints could move forward.
It is claimed that the Franciscan Order was a "public nuisance" for which there is no statute of limitations. The claim is that the Franciscan Order shuttled priests accused of abuse from community to community without warning parishioners that their children may be in danger, and that the Catholic order engaged in a number of activities to "cover up" the actions of pedophile priests.
There have now been 64 complaints filed against the order related to priest abuse that occurred since 1960. Another priest, Fr. Gus Krumm, was accused of child molestation and when investigated by the Order, was deemed to be not guilty of the actions -- after being investigated by 3 psychiatrists. However, in 2002 he confessed to having molested young boys while serving at St. Anthony's Seminary. After he confessed to the abuse, he was moved to other parishes in Oregon with no warning to the parishioners in which he was serving.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of priest abuse, it is crucial that you contact a clergy abuse attorney. The legal team at the Zalkin Law Firm assists victims of clergy abuse in getting monetary compensation for the damages they have suffered by being victimized by clergy who have engaged in sexual abuse.
