Six more former students at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas have joined the lawsuit, alleging they were abused by a priest while attending the school.
The latest plaintiffs bring to eight the number of former students in a lawsuit first filed in Dallas County Civil Court in August 2019 against the school, the Catholic Diocese of Dallas and others dating back to the early 1980s. Five Jesuit preparatory priests.
Six of the eight plaintiffs use false names in their lawsuits. Records show that all eight men taught, counseled, and mentored students at an exclusive Jesuit prep school in the late 1970s and 1980s, when a group of clergymen who were positively accused of sexual assault He claims that he was abused during the period when he was involved in sexual harassment.
Priests named as defendants in the lawsuit include the Rev. Peter Callery, a teacher and wrestling coach. Vincent Malatesta, teacher and counselor, expelled from the Jesuit order in 2002. Robert Crisp, former parish priest. The lawsuit also names three priests who died. The Reverend Patrick Koch was the school's former principal and president, and passed away in 2006. Pastor Donald Dickerson, former teacher and administrator, passed away in 2018. Dickerson was added to the list of defendants in an amended filing Wednesday.
The lawsuit alleges that the Diocese of Dallas, the Jesuit Dallas Preparatory School, the Jesuit Province of the Mid-South United States, and the spiritual order of priests all failed in their duty to protect students, allowing abuse by priests to occur over several years, and then He claims to have hidden it. Up it.
“One of the most troubling aspects of this case is that the Jesuit order has accused some of these priests of sexually inappropriate behavior and even abuse of young boys. It is clear that he knew that,” Charla, the plaintiff's attorney, said in a statement. Aldous and Brent Walker. “Despite these allegations, the Jesuit order allows these priests to be placed in or remain as teachers at the Jesuit Preparatory School in Dallas, thereby exposing students to pedophiles. is what happened.”
Therese Meyerhoff, a spokeswoman for the Jesuits of the South Central United States, declined to comment on the specific allegations. She said Father Currey has been removed from public ministry in accordance with the order's policies and “does not intend to resume ministry until this litigation is resolved.”
Jesuit Preparatory President Michael A. Irsing also declined to address specific allegations in a short statement.
“I would like to reiterate our continued sympathy and support to all victims of sexual misconduct and sexual abuse,” Ursing said. “As previously stated, it is not appropriate to discuss the details of the lawsuit.”
The Diocese of Dallas said in a statement that it is a separate organization from the Jesuit Preparatory Organization, which was founded by the Jesuit Order.
“The allegations regarding Robert Crisp are the only cases in this case involving priests from the Diocese of Dallas,” the statement said. “The other claims asserted in the current lawsuit do not pertain to priests in the Diocese of Dallas.”
The diocese did not discuss specific charges, but noted that Crisp's name was on a list of priests with credible charges released by the Diocese of Dallas on January 31, 2019.
“Bishop [Edward J.] Mr. Burns continues to encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to report it to law enforcement and continues to pray for all abuse victims and their families,'' the statement said. “The Diocese of Dallas remains focused on providing the safest possible environment for those we serve.”
Three of the eight plaintiffs allege abuse at the hands of the late Rev. Patrick Koch, who served as a teacher, guidance counselor, principal and dean at the school from 1972 to 1980. He continued to work as his alumni director from his 1980 to his 1986.
Koch is accused of sexually abusing plaintiff Mike Pedevila and plaintiffs Charles Jones and James Johnson, who are using false names in the lawsuit. The Dallas Morning News typically does not publish the names of survivors of sexual abuse, but Pedevila was interviewed by The News in 2019.
The 1983 graduate said the abuse occurred during his sophomore year. Pedevila received tuition assistance in exchange for working at the school. That included answering the phone at the priest's residence in the evening. Mr. Pedevila recalled that when he was in second grade, he slipped out of class to meet with his adviser, Koch, who was working in the president's office at the time. After turning off the lights, the priest sat on the floor, crossed his legs and told Mr. Pedevila to close his eyes and do the same. Koch kissed Pedevila, and Pedevila squirmed away, police said.
Pedevila said the abuse led to suicidal thoughts, declining grades, a decades-long crisis of faith, difficulties with trust and long-term relationships, and drug and alcohol abuse.
According to the complaint, Jones, who entered Jesuit as a freshman in 1982, knew Bishop Koch because he often had dinner with the Jones family. Koch called Jones into his office and asked how he was doing. Koch groomed Jones, complimented his good looks and began touching him affectionately, according to the complaint.
“While in the office, Koch began to push Charles' boundaries, including repeatedly sticking his face in the crotch of Charles' pants,” the complaint says.
The abuse continued in 1984 when Koch offered to take Jones to the World's Fair in New Orleans. During that trip, Koch visited Jones one night in a separate room of the convent where they were staying. According to the complaint, Jones woke up and saw Koch masturbating while stroking Jones' hair. Jones fled into the bathroom, where he hid for hours.
Jones resigned from Jesuit the following semester. According to the complaint, he suffers from “recurrent nightmares,” occasionally drinks heavily, has relationship problems and has been diagnosed with PTSD and depression.
Another Koch accuser is identified in the lawsuit by the pseudonym James Johnson. Koch “made unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances and physical contact” toward Johnson, the complaint alleges. Koch rubbed Johnson's shoulders and back, whispered in his ear and “then kissed him in the ear,” the complaint alleges.
Mr. Johnson also claimed that he received inappropriate contact from the Rev. Donald Dickerson, who taught at Jesuit Preparatory School in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to records. Dickerson was removed from the Jesuit order in 1986 and died two years ago.
Another man, identified in the lawsuit under the pseudonym Adam Williams, claimed he was abused by Crisp at St. Pius X, a Catholic school in Dallas that serves classes from kindergarten through eighth grade. According to the complaint, Crisp fondled Williams during a camping trip. Mr. Williams then attended a Jesuit school. His grandparents were custodial workers and close friends of Mr. Koch.
According to the complaint, Williams was invited by Jesuit's wrestling coach, the Rev. Peter Callery, to wrestle with him after school, but Williams was not on the team and was “uncomfortable” during the wrestling session. This was despite the fact that he had “thoughts”.
Callary is also being accused by another plaintiff, Richard Roe, whose article was published in The News in October 2019. The lawsuit alleges that Rowe was sexually assaulted by Callary in a hotel room while her school's wrestling team was attending a match.
According to the complaint, Williams was called to the office of the school counselor, the Rev. Vincent Malatesta, in 1982, when he was in third grade. Mr. Malatesta told Mr. Williams that he wanted to paint Williams because he was developing his artistic skills.
The priest asked Williams to remove her clothes one by one until she was in her underwear. At that point, Malatesta fondled Williams, the complaint alleges. The abuse occurred again during another session, except this time the priest performed oral sex on the boy, according to the complaint.
Mr. Williams was so upset that he intentionally withdrew from school. Later, another plaintiff in the Jesuit lawsuit, identified by the pseudonym John Smith, had a similar experience with Malatesta the year before, in 1981, and reported the priest's sexual misconduct to then-Vice Principal Mike Irsing. and learned that Mike Irsing had reported it to the police. The complaint says there is an order from the Society of Jesus.
“It is clear that the school's Jesuits and the Jesuit order did nothing to punish Malatesta or stop him from preying on boys, and as a result, Adam Williams' life was ruined. , he is still suffering.'' says the lawsuit.
Along with Mike Pedevila, another plaintiff, Dennis Petersen, is also joining the lawsuit in his own name. The complaint alleges that Petersen, who now lives in Mexico and has a home in Denton County, was sexually abused by the late Rev. Benjamin Smiley in 1981, when Petersen was a freshman at the Jesuits. claims.
According to the complaint, Petersen's mother was dying at the time, and Petersen was unable to cope with the situation, causing problems at home due to his marijuana use, and failing to perform well in school. Petersen was sent to Smiley for counseling.
Smiley began complimenting Petersen's appearance and touching Petersen's hair, according to the complaint. He then obtained permission from Petersen's parents and took the boy to the Montserrat Jesuit Monastery on Lake Dallas.
Smiley drove Petersen to the hideout and stopped at the store to buy beer and cigarettes. They spent the night drinking and smoking, after which Dennis passed out in his sleeping bag. When he woke up, he found Smiley caressing his genitals and attempting to perform oral sex on him. Petersen pretended to be asleep and fled to another room after the assault.
After that, Petersen ran into more trouble and was eventually expelled from the school of his choice, the suit says. Records show he was a student at Jesuit for just two months, but the assault “irrevocably changed” his life, the suit says.
“Unfortunately, Denise did not receive the treatment she needed and continues to struggle with the effects of her sexual assault,” the complaint states, adding that after suffering numerous interpersonal conflicts, she finally added that he moved to Mexico to work for a boat company.
Staff writer Jennifer Emily contributed to this report.
