Fresno Diocese Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

We are experts in obtaining justice and compensation for victims of sexual assault, having handled sexual abuse cases for decades, including Boy Scout molestation, nursing home sexual abuse cases and more.

At least 49 Diocese of Fresno clergy members have been accused of sexual abuse. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse now have until the age of 40 or within five years of becoming aware that a psychological injury was caused by sexual abuse, whichever is later, to file a childhood sexual abuse lawsuit in California, thanks to AB-218.

Our caring, compassionate staff will patiently and confidentially handle your case with the utmost professionalism, always returning your calls and emails in a timely manner. Let us hold the Diocese of Fresno accountable for their failure to protect you from sexual abuse.

You are not alone. Call our Fresno personal injury lawyers today for a free, confidential consultation, text us from this page or complete the contact form on this page to request a free consultation. We only charge a fee for our services if we obtain a recovery for you. That is our No Fee Promise.

Fresno Diocese Coverup

A lawsuit accuses the Diocese of Fresno of covering up their priest’s sexual misconduct for decades.

The Fresno woman who filed the lawsuit claims she was molested by Anthony Moreno between 1979 and 1980 while he was serving as a priest in Bakersfield. She claims her father reported this abuse to the church soon after it happened, but that the church’s response was to move Moreno to Fresno in December of 1980.

The lawsuit claims that the Fresno diocese confirmed that they received reports of her abuse between 1979 and 1980, adding that Moreno was put on administrative leave in 1983.

List Of Fresno Diocese Priests Accused Of Sexual Abuse

There have been at least 49 Diocese of Fresno members accused of sexual abuse. They include:

William G. Allison, Gaspar Bautista, Brian D. Bjorklund (Bjorkland), John “Jack” A. Bradley, Tod D. Brown, Samuel Cabot, James T. Cairns, Felix (Raymond) Calonge, Stuart B. Campbell, David (Laurian) Carrier, Hermy Dave O. Ceniza, Gerald T. Chumik, Mario Walter Cimmarrusti, James Collins, Basil Peter Congro, Owen da Silva, Daniel DeDominicis, Raul Diaz, Dennis Duffy, John Esquivel, Donald Farmer, Theodore W. Feely, Don D. Flickinger, Miguel Flores, Benjamin Gabriel, Robert Gamel, Louis Aloysius Garcia, Craig Francis Harrison, Gerald A. Hartz, Anthony G. Herdegen, Edgardo (Edgar) Arrunataegui Jimenez, David (Dave) Johnson, Stephen Kain, Gregory Kareta, David LaPierre, John Lastiri, Cornelius Patrick Leehan, Mark A. Liening, Anthony Moreno, Jorge Ortiz Lopez, Roger M. Mahony, Michael McDonald, Vincent A. (J.) O’Connell, Joseph Pacheco (Pecheco), Thomas Patrick Purcell, Jesús Antonio Castañeda Serna, John R. Shepard, Anthony Slane, Eric Swearingen, Ramon Varela

Disclaimer: The people on the above list have allegations of sexual abuse against them. Allegations do not define guilt under U.S. law. People accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty during criminal or civil legal proceedings in the United States. The above list does not imply the people on the list are criminally guilty or legally liable for civil damage claims. It merely represents people who have been publicly accused of abuse.

How We Prove A Clergy Abuse Lawsuit In California

Our attorneys have decades of experience handling sexual assault claims and already have a game plan in place to obtain justice and the maximum possible compensation for you. We will sue the Diocese of Fresno, asking for damages based on numerous causes of action, including but not limited to:

Negligence

CACI No. 401 defines negligence in California:

Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care to prevent harm to oneself or to others.

A person can be negligent by acting or by failing to act. A person is negligent if he or she does something that a reasonably careful person would not do in the same situation or fails to do something that a reasonably careful person would do in the same situation.

CACI No. 412 establishes the duty of care owed to children in California:

An adult must anticipate the ordinary behavior of children. An adult must be more careful when dealing with children than with other adults.

The Diocese of Fresno has a duty to use reasonable care in hiring, supervising and retaining priests/employees, and the diocese owes children a special duty of care to protect them from harm in addition to a duty of ordinary care.

We will prove that the Diocese of Fresno negligently hired, supervised and/or retained an employee, negligently allowed that employee to come into contact with a child without supervision, and that this negligence directly led to sexual abuse.

Negligent Supervision And Failure To Warn Plaintiff

CACI No. 426 defines negligent hiring, supervision or retention of employees in California. It essentially states that an employer is negligent if they knew or should have known that an employee was unfit or incompetent, this unfitness or incompetence created a risk to others, they hired, supervised or retained the employee anyways and someone was harmed as a result.

We will prove that the Diocese of Fresno negligently supervised an employee when that employee was around children and that the diocese failed in their duty to exercise reasonable care in investigating their employee and warning others about their employee’s dangerous propensities and unfitness, and that this negligence directly led to sexual abuse.

Negligent Hiring And Retention

We will prove, based on CACI No. 426, that the Diocese of Fresno negligently hired and retained an employee because they had a duty to not hire and retain the employee given the employee’s dangerous and exploitative propensities, which the diocese knew or should have known about, and that this negligence directly led to sexual abuse.

Negligent Failure To Warn, Train Or Educate Plaintiff

Juarez v. Boy Scouts of America, Inc. (2000) established in California that organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America and Catholic dioceses have a legal duty to warn, train or educate plaintiffs about the risk of sexual abuse by scoutmasters/priests and how to avoid or minimize this risk.

We will prove that the Diocese of Fresno failed in their duty to take reasonable protective measures to protect sexual abuse victims from the risk of childhood sexual abuse by their employee by failing to properly warn sexual abuse victims about the risk of sexual abuse and failing to train or educate victims how to avoid such a risk.

Sexual Battery

California Civ. Code §1708.5 essentially defines sexual battery as “harmful or offensive contact” involving intimate parts. We will seek to recover damages based on this civil code.

Catholic Diocese Of Fresno Sexual Abuse Lawyers

Our legal teams are dedicated to providing exceptional representation for sexual abuse survivors. If you or a loved one were molested or sexually abused by a member of the Fresno Catholic Diocese, contact our office now for a free and confidential consultation. Remember, you are not alone.

Call our office today for a free consultation. We only charge a fee for our services if we obtain a recovery for you. That is our No Fee Promise.