WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Priest Sex Abuse Case Goes to Jury

Priest Sex Abuse Case Goes to Jury

Burlington, Vermont - October 7, 2009

A Burlington jury is deliberating whether the Vermont Catholic Diocese should pay damages to a former altar boy who was molested by a priest 33 years ago.

The jury started deliberating this afternoon after a week of testimony and closing arguments.

The 44-year-old former altar boy, whose identity we are protecting at his request, claims he was 11 or 12 when he was groped at least two dozen times by former priest Edward Paquette.

He is one of at least 20 former Vermont altar boys victimized by Paquette who are suing the Vermont Catholic Diocese for negligence. They claim former Bishop John Marshall, now dead, agreed to let Paquette become a priest in Vermont Paquette in Vermont despite warnings Paquette had molested boys in other states.

The plaintiff claims the abuse years later caused post traumatic stress syndrome that made him an alcoholic and ruined a marriage.

In closing arguments his lawyers suggested to the jury that the Diocese pay up to $9 million dollars.

When it was their turn, lawyers for the Diocese told the jury it would be wrong to punish the Diocese today for what happened more than 30 years ago. They say under law the plaintiff should get nothing because he waited too long to file the lawsuit. And there is no evidence proving his alcoholism was caused by the sexual abuse.

This is the fourth time a lawsuit filed against the Diocese by a Father Paquette victim has gone to a jury so far. So far two juries have awarded more than $12 million dollars to two former altar boys. A third trial ended with a hung jury. And a jury awarded only $1,500 to another former altar boy who was victimized by another Vermont priest.

The Diocese has also paid more than $1.6 million to settle out of court with five other former altar boys.

And for now there are at least 20 more priest abuse law suits pending.