Five people claiming Catholic priests abused them in Mid-Missouri accused the diocese of covering up and sometimes encouraging their assaults over decades.LK
The five victims, identified only by their initials, sued the Jefferson City Diocese and Bishop Shawn McKnight in federal court on Thursday. The five plaintiffs and their attorney, Rebecca Randles of Randles Mata, accused the diocese of a “shameless cover-up” throughout the last 50 years and said it “hindered Plaintiffs from discovering their causes of action against the Defendants for their negligent and intentional conduct.”
A diocese spokesman declined to comment on the substance of the allegations while the lawsuit is in the courts.
“The Diocese of Jefferson City is aware of this lawsuit,” Jacob Luecke said in response to questions from ABC 17 News. “Out of respect for the judicial process, we will decline to comment at this time.”
The lawsuit details abuse by several members of the church, some of whom have already faced criminal charges or have been identified by the diocese. McKnight, who took over the diocese in 2018, published a list of clergy who were “credibly accused” of sex crimes in 2018. Two of them — Fathers Gerald Howard, who once went by Carmen Sita, and Thomas Duggan — are mentioned in the new lawsuit.
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