Monday, July 24, 2017

New victim sues Archdiocese of Ottawa for alleged sexual abuse

Rev. Dale Crampton
An Ottawa man has become the latest victim to sue the Archdiocese of Ottawa for sexual abuse that he allegedly suffered at the hands of the city's most notorious Catholic priest, Rev. Dale Crampton.

Robert Sullivan has filed a $2-million damages claim for abuse that he says began when he was just 10 years old.

"No matter how much work I do, and try to forgive, it's still something inside me: It killed part of me," Sullivan, 51, said in an interview with the Sun.

He is the tenth person to come forward through the legal system in the year since the Sun published a series about the dark history of clergy sex abuse in Ottawa.

Three have lodged criminal complaints against Rev. Barry McGrory, 82, a retired priest who is scheduled to stand trial next year on eight charges.

Five other people, including Sullivan, have filed civil suits to obtain damages for the abuse they suffered at the hands of Crampton, a convicted pedophile who killed himself in October 2010 by jumping from a highrise balcony. (A total of 15 lawsuits have now been filed against Crampton).

Another man has said he was sexually abused at a cottage in August 1979 by Bishop John Beahen, then one of the most powerful figures in Ottawa's Catholic community. And a local family has launched a lawsuit on behalf of a deceased relative who revealed his story of clergy sexual abuse on his deathbed.

"Every story, every bit of media coverage shakes memories loose," said Robert Talach, a personal injury lawyer who has represented many of the claimants, including Sullivan.   (more...)

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