There have been at least 87 members of the Diocese of San Bernardino who have been accused of sexual abuse. Those who survive childhood sexual abuse now have longer to file sexual abuse claims because of AB-218, which gives survivors five years from knowing that they were psychologically injured by sexual abuse or until the age of 40, whichever comes later, to file lawsuits.
You may be eligible for a financial recovery if you or a loved one suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a Diocese of San Bernardino member, and we can obtain it for you for free. We’ll only charge you a percentage of your recovery, and only if we obtain a recovery for you. Call us today at (909) 381-3595 for a free, confidential case evaluation.
First Lawsuit Filed Under AB-218 Against San Bernardino Diocese
The first childhood sexual abuse lawsuit filed under AB-218 against the Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino was filed in December 2019. The lawsuit accuses the diocese of negligent supervision of Louis G. Perreault, negligent retention of Louis G. Perreault and negligent supervision of the plaintiff, then a minor.
The lawsuit claims the plaintiff was abused by Perreault when he was an altar boy in the early ‘90s. The lawsuit claims the diocese was given “notice of inappropriate conduct committed by” Perreault, and “failed to report and hid and concealed from” the plaintiff this notice.
Diocese Of San Bernardino Members Accused Of Sexual Abuse: A List
At least 87 members of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino have been accused of sexual abuse. Accused members include:
Edito “Ed” Amora “D’Amora”, Saul Ayala, Edward L. Ball, Roberto A. Barco, John Beatty, Joseph G. Bell, Gustavo Benson, James T. Booth, Peadar “Peter” Brennan, Michael Bucaro, Robert Buchanan, Stuart B. Campbell, Alejandro “Alex” Jose Castillo, Peter Covas, James Creaton, John Joseph Daly, Owen da Silva, Daniel De Dominicis, Luis Eugene De Francisco, Robert A. De Otero, Jesus Dominguez, Robert J. Donat, Donald F. Doxie, Kevin Dunne, Brent I. Eagan, Raymond Clifton Etienne, Theodore Feely, Joseph Fertal, Herman Francis Flynn, Dominic T. Gaioni, Rudolph Galindo, James A. Ganahl, Ruben Garcia, Anthony Martinez Garduno, Rudi Gil, Paul Gill, John Haberthier, Ernest J. “J. Ernest” Hayes, Michael Higgins, Joseph Jablonski, Dennis Raymond Jost, Gregory Kareta, Patrick J. Kearney, John Charles Keith, Timothy F. Keppel, Adalbert “Albert” J. Kowalczyk, William Armstrong Kraft, Robert E. Kurilec, Lawrence Kurlandski, Peter H. Luque, Maximiliano Gomez Macouzet, Michael Victor Marron, Peter McCormick, Malachy M. McGinn, Paul J. McLaughlin, Mark “Marc” “Marcel” Medaer, Howard F. Melzer, Thomas Moloney, Paul Nguyen, Robert (Bob) Daniel (Drew) Nikliborc (Rand), Joseph (Jose, R. Rosendo) R. Nunez, Michael Raymond O’Donohoe, Patrick J. O’Keeffe, Louis G. Perreault, Daniel Polizzi, Ponciano M. Ramos, Terrence Reilly, Franz Robier, Anthony “Edward” Rodrigue, Carlos Rene Rodriguez, Joseph “Jose” Rossell, Charles H. Rourke, William R. Savord, John A. Schmitz, Paul R. Shanley, Gregory Sierra Sheridan, Frank A. Sierra, Fidencio Simon Silva-Flores, William D. Spain, James F. Stauber, Matthew J. Thompson, Esteban Trujillo, Victor Uboldi “Ubaldi”, William Valverde, Barry E. Vinyard, Bernard Waltos
Disclaimer: There are allegations against the people on the above list. Guilt is not defined by allegations under United States law. In the United States, people who are accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty, whether in criminal or civil court. The above list does not imply any criminal guilt or civil liability. It is only intended to be a list of people who have been publicly accused of abuse.
How We Will Obtain Justice And Compensation For You
The lawyers at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers have been helping sexual assault victims obtain justice and financial recoveries for decades. This experience means our attorneys already have a plan in place for you.
We will file a lawsuit against the Diocese of San Bernardino, requesting damages based on many causes, including:
Negligence
CACI No. 401 essentially defines negligence as failing to use reasonable care to prevent harm. It says that both acting and failing to act can be negligence. It states that doing things a reasonably careful person wouldn’t do is negligence, as is failing to do things reasonably careful people would do.
CACI No. 412 states that there is an additional duty of care owed to children in California. It states that adults must be more careful with children than with adults.
The Diocese of San Bernardino is duty-bound to hire, supervise and retain priests and members while using reasonable care, and the diocese is duty-bound to protect children from harm.
We will prove that the diocese hired, supervised and/or retained a priest or employee negligently and negligently allowed that priest or employee to be around children without supervision. We will prove that this negligence directly caused sexual abuse to occur.
Negligent Supervision And Failure To Warn Plaintiff
Negligence in hiring, supervising or retaining employees in California is defined by CACI No. 426. It basically says employers are negligent when they know or should know an employee is incompetent or unfit, this creates a risk, they hire, supervise or retain the employee anyways and someone gets hurt because of it.
We will prove the diocese’s supervision of their priest or employee was negligent because they allowed the priest or employee to be around children without supervision. We will prove the diocese did not exercise reasonable care when they investigated their priest or employee and that they failed to warn others about the danger their priest or employee posed. We will prove that sexual abuse was the direct result of this negligence.
Negligent Hiring And Retention
CACI No. 426 comes into play here, as well. We will prove that the diocese was duty-bound to not hire and retain a priest or employee because of their tendencies which the diocese knew or should have known about. We will prove that the diocese failed to uphold this duty. We will prove that sexual abuse was the direct result of this failure.
Negligent Failure To Warn, Train Or Educate Plaintiff
A 2000 California case established that organizations like the Boy Scouts of America are duty-bound to educate, train or warn plaintiffs about the risk of sexual abuse by their employees/volunteers and how to minimize or avoid the risk. That case was Juarez v. Boy Scouts of America, Inc.
We will prove that the diocese was negligent because they failed to warn childhood sexual abuse victims about the risk of sexual abuse at the hands of their priests or members. We will prove the diocese negligently failed to train or educate victims how to avoid or minimize this sexual abuse risk.
Sexual Battery
Sexual battery is defined by California Civ. Code §1708.5 as “harmful or offensive contact” involving intimate parts. We will request that the court award you damages based on this civil code.
Catholic Diocese Of San Bernardino Sexual Abuse Lawyers
We specialize in helping childhood sexual abuse victims receive justice and compensation for their injuries. We’ve been handling sexual abuse cases such as Boy Scout cases since 1990.
Our lawyers are aggressive and battle-tested and our staff is professional, caring and patient. We’ll take care of everything for you so you can focus on healing from your abuse.
Let us obtain justice for you. Let us hold the Diocese of San Bernardino accountable for their negligence. We will prove their negligence and obtain financial compensation for you. Call us now at (909) 381-3595. You can also complete the “Do I Have A Case?” form, email us at info@personalinjurylawcal.com or engage with a live chat specialist.
