Serving the Dental Needs for the Carrol Gardens
and beyond for over 30 years!
Plus
Autoclave State-of-the-art
Sterilization
Special Attention
To Nervous & Anxious
Patients
Most Dental Plans
Accepted
Children Treated With Tender Loving Care
Dr. Jeffrey M. Kramer
(Corner W. 9th St.),
624-5554 624-7055
DONATE YOUR CAR
Wheels For Wishes
benefiting
Make-A-Wish®
Metro New York
* 100% Tax Deductible
* Free Vehicle Pickup ANYWHERE
* We Accept Most Vehicles Running or Not
* We Also Accept Boats, Motorcycles & RVs
WheelsForWishes.org
* Car Donation Foundation d/b/a Wheels For Wishes. To learn more about our programs or
Call:(917) 336-1254
Victims of sexual abuse by
Catholic clergy or by authority
figures at school have rights.
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY LAW HAVE
EXTENDED THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH TO FILE
YOUR SEXUAL ABUSE CLAIM. ACT NOW TO GET
YOUR CLAIM TIMELY FILED.
COURIER L 30 IFE, SEPT. 20-26, 2019
Child sex abuse
lawsuits pile up
in Brooklyn
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Eighty-seven victims of childhood
sexual abuse fi led lawsuits in
Brooklyn Supreme Court within the
fi rst month following the enactment
of the Child Victims Act, a new law
that gives abuse survivors a renewed
chance to seek justice against predators
and the organizations that aided
their assaults.
Last week, 10 victims — using
pseudonyms to shield their identities
— fi led separate lawsuits against the
Catholic Church’s Brooklyn Diocese
and multiple Brooklyn-based clergymen,
claiming they were abused between
1950 and 1980.
One victim accused now-deceased
Father Patrick Fursey O’Toole of sexually
abusing him at St. Ann’s Church
in Dumbo, which has since been demolished,
when the plaintiff worked
at an Altar boy between the ages of
nine and 18, according to court documents
.
The new allegations against
O’Toole are the fi rst ones leveled
against the priest, according to Diocese
spokeswoman Adriana Rodriguez,
who declined to speak further
on the specifi cs of that case because
of the ongoing litigations.
Another victim claims that he was
abused in 1962 by Brother Julio Ortiz
when he was an 11-year-old student
at the now-defunct Saint Peter’s-Our
Lady of Pilar Church in Cobble Hill in
1976, according to court documents.
The accusers, who are identifi ed in
court documents as ‘John Doe,’ claim
that Diocese leaders failed to take basic
precautions to prevent the alleged
actions — claiming that they either
knew or should have known about the
abuse, the lawsuits allege.
But Rodriguez fi red back, claiming
they have a “zero tolerance” policy in
place that mandates the removal of
any clergy member credibly accused
of sexually abusing a minor.
The Diocese spokeswoman also
highlighted the restorative steps
that they have taken to rectify any
past wrongs, including voluntarily
publishing a list of credibly accused
clergy earlier this year and fi nancially
compensating hundreds of victims.
“To date, the diocese has worked
with nearly 500 victims and paid over
$90 million in settlements through its
Independent Reconciliation and Compensation
Program,” said Rodriguez.
“The Diocese of Brooklyn has apologized
to victims who have suffered
ACCUSED: A new lawsuit accuses a clergyman
of childhood sexual abuse at Saint Peter’s
Our Lady of Pilar Church in Cobble Hill
in 1976. Google Maps
due to sexual abuse by clergy. And we
have worked to make amends.”
The law fi rm representing the
newest batch of victims, Jeff Anderson
& Associates, have fi led 262 lawsuits
against the Catholic Diocese
statewide — including 36 lawsuits in
Brooklyn, according to the fi rm.
The fi rm’s chief legal eagle praised
the survivors for their courage in
holding the church accountable for
its failure to protect its most vulnerable
members.
“Survivors are the ones — through
their truth, through their voice, and
now through this law — that are
shining the bright spotlight on the
dark and dangerous practices so long
employed by Catholic Bishops, who
failed to protect kids the way that
they deserve to be protected,” said
Jeff Anderson. “It’s a new day.”
The plaintiffs are suing under the
Child Victims Act that took effect on
Aug. 14, and provides victims who
were abused as minors with a 365-day
“looks back window” to circumvent
statute of limitations restrictions
and fi le lawsuits against their abusers
— regardless of when the abuse
occurred.
The law, which was fi rst passed
by the state legislature and signed by
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Feb. 14, has
prompted 694 lawsuits across New
York State since it took effect last
month.
DEMAND JUSTICE
CLERGY ABUSE ATTORNEY HOTLINE 800-444-9112
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
DOUGLAS & LONDON, P.C. 59 MAIDEN LN, 6TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10038
THE MATTHEWS LAW FIRM, PLLC, 244 5TH AVENUE, SUITE 2882, NY, NY 10001
MAIN OFFICE: 2905 SACKETT STREET, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77098
For more hyper-local Brooklyn news on your computer,
smartphone, or iPad, visit BrooklynPaper.com
/WheelsForWishes.org
/BrooklynPaper.com