Over the weekend, Catholic hymn composer, performer, and youth conference organizer David Haas was dropped by his publisher after the company learned the musician was under investigation by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for sexual battery and other offenses. Haas also ran a music camp for teens called Music Ministry Alive, which according…Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Catholic composer accused of sexual battery worked with known predator for years
I get SO MANY emails asking for help in this arena. Start here. You can always email me for suggestions and guidance, too. And no “helpful hints” on video production, please. I can’t take any more. My 13-year-old son is already overloading me how much improvement I need. Ugh. I told him that my videos…Continue reading Don’t go it alone: How to find a civil attorney for your child sex abuse case
Of all of the abuse and cover-up that have been exposed as a result of Hawaii’s civil window for victims of sexual abuse, few things are as explosive as a report released yesterday that states the Vatican knew Hawaii’s former bishop was a sex predator before he was appointed ordinary. The report, written by Fr. Thomas…Continue reading Report: Vatican knew bishop was a predator
Hawai’i’s adult victims of child sexual abuse only have until the end of April to come forward and use the civil courts. The civil window, which was renewed in 2014, was an extension of a 2012 bill that gave victims of child sexual abuse the right to use the civil courts to expose their…Continue reading Hawai’i victims of abuse face deadline
The first step to transparency is being, well … transparent. And when your former bishop is a three-time-accused (that we know of) predator, that makes transparency even more important. Victims to Hawai’i Bishop: Make all predators’ names public Thirty other dioceses have exposed accused clerics Seattle list included abuser in hiding in Honolulu Former bishop…Continue reading Victims to Hawai’i Bishop: Make all predators’ names public
Yesterday’s LA Times told the story of Edward Courtney, former Irish Christian Brother who is accused of molesting upwards of 50 kids. He’s living “under the radar” in Hawaii. The bigger story is that EVERY cleric in Hawaii who has been accused of abuse (including former Bishop Joseph Ferrario) lives or has lived under the…Continue reading Hawaii Diocese knows who the predators are. They just won’t tell us.
I wasn’t joking when I said it was a big day for the Hawaii civil window for victims of child sexual abuse. First, we found out that the Diocese of Honolulu is suing its insurer, exposing the fact there are 60 sex abuse lawsuits against the diocese, 29 of which have been…Continue reading Hawaii civil window update, part II: Kamehameha Schools get slammed
60 sex abuse cases 29 settlements 1 stingy insurance company Things have been pretty quiet in Hawaii. And because of a new lawsuit, we now know why. The Diocese of Honolulu today sued one of its insurers, First Insurance Insurance of Hawaii, for refusing “to honor commitments made in liability policies it…Continue reading Hawaii Civil Window update
A number of years ago, a family reached out to me asking for help. Their son had been abused by a priest named Gerald Funcheon, and the family wanted to know what happened to the Crosier cleric. At the time, I looked at the resources available. I saw a priest with huge…Continue reading Gerald Funcheon … sued again
This blog has long rallied against the problem of the cover-up of sexual abuse in public schools. Unfortunately, the victims in these cases—when they are ready and able to come forward and get accountability— usually don’t have criminal and civil rights to expose the abuse. As a result, victims and the public are seldom, if…Continue reading The Best Revolutions Begin With One Small Action
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie just signed a law that extends Hawaii’s two-year civil window for sex abuse victims. But there’s more: victims in public schools are NOW eligible for accountability under the new law. For the first time, sex offenders in public schools and the people who covered up for them—including powerful unions and other gov’t…Continue reading Big News: Hawaii Civil Window for child sex abuse victims EXTENDED; Includes public schools
When California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB 131 —an extension to California’s 2003 civil window that would have allowed victims of child sex abuse to come forward, no matter when they were abused—he cited an age-old (and VERY STALE) argument that we hear often from Catholic bishops: “window laws are unfair.” Tell that to the…Continue reading More proof that Jerry Brown got it all wrong: Love Serve Surrender
He was Gary Winnick. He was Wandering Eagle. He was Jay Ram. But through it all, he was a predator who used sex as power and destroyed dozens of children in his wake. I’ve been a part of numerous documentaries about the cover-up of the sexual abuse of children, but no saga has touched…Continue reading Documentary: The twisted tale of Jay Ram
Vice News has released a trailer for their upcoming documentary LOVE SERVE SURRENDER. The film tells the story of Jay Ram, a former Hilo-area farmer who fostered and adopted boys in California and Hawaii … and then sexually abused them. Because of Hawaii’s civil window, these boys—now men— have been able to expose Jay and…Continue reading Trailer: Documentary exposes Big Island abuser
For tomorrow’s event in Honolulu … Fmr top Catholic official accused of abuse Victim speaks publicly for the first time He says he was 7 when ex-Honolulu bishop molested him New lawsuit is one of more than two dozen filed since 2012 WHAT: Holding signs and childhood photos at a news conference, a third alleged…Continue reading Former top Catholic official accused of abuse
Over the weekend, we learned that Damien Memorial School officials lied on a grant application that resulted in a $1.5 million award to the school from the State of Hawaii for “capital improvements.” Here is a quick recap: School officials conveniently “forgot” to mention that at the time the application was filed in January, the…Continue reading What did Damien’s board of directors know?
From today’s Honolulu Star Advertiser: Victims of church sexual abuse need criminal lawyers, not therapy By Marilyn Wong The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hawaii, via a newspaper ad that ran Monday, is offering therapy treatment and reconciliation for the victims of sex abuse. Directing victims to go to the diocese for help is like sending…Continue reading Honolulu Star Advertiser: Victims of church sexual abuse need criminal lawyers, not therapy
Two years after they sought bankruptcy protection to avoid more than 200 embarrasing civil sex abuse trials, the New York-based Irish Christian Brothers (ICB) have settled with more than 400 victims of child sexual abuse (in Canada and the United States) for $16.5 million. This marks the end of the first step for many ICB…Continue reading Victims settle with Irish Christian Brothers for $16.5 million
The latest from Hawaii: Why would Honolulu’s Maryknoll School keep a scholarship named after a accused child predator? And what kind of message does that send? Victims blast local high school Scholarship named after alleged predator He’s been accused of abuse by three boys But school & board still honor his memory “Honoring predators…Continue reading If you have a scholarship, don’t name it after a 3-time accused predator …
NEWS EVENT: Maui man files new sex abuse & cover-up suit It’s the 1st time cleric/teacher has been accused And he’s the 10th alleged pedophile at Honolulu school When victim reported the crimes, cleric was sent away Then, Catholic officials brought him back, he retaliated & broke the victim’s hand What: Holding signs with photos…Continue reading 10th predator outed at Honolulu school, broke victim’s hand for reporting
