The Worthy Adversary

Author: Joelle Casteix

  • A note to my friends about AB 218

    A note to my friends about AB 218

    CA AB 218 is now law. Victims of child sexual abuse—no matter how old they are or when the abuse occurred (public or private institutions are both included, as well as victims in the family)—can come forward in the courts and expose what happened.

    For those of us from Mater Dei, the All-American Boys Chorus, and the Diocese of Orange, it’s a time for thought and action.

    Coming forward and exposing the crime does not “hurt” these institutions – these institutions knew about our abuse and covered it up. Talking about your abuse does not shame you or your family. It’s the first step in healing. Even if some of your best memories were of high school, choir, or church, that doesn’t mean that these places get a “pass.” Here is why:

    You did not ask to be abused. You did nothing wrong. No child ever deserves to be sexually assaulted by a teacher, priest, coach, parent, relative, or volunteer.

    Mater Dei, the AABC and the Diocese of Orange deliberately covered-up abuse. They knew who the predators were and they did nothing to keep them away from us, the kids. In fact, they kept us and our parents in the dark. They lied to us when we came forward to disclose and made us think we were the only ones. When our lives went south, they were not there to provide support. In many cases, we were blamed for the abuse.

    And finally, has anything changed? We simply don’t know. Why? Because they won’t tell us and they have no accountability unless survivors stand up and demand it. We don’t know if kids are safe. We don’t know what the secrets are.

    If you are ready, it’s time for the secrets to end. It’s time for the shame to stop.

    If you have questions or want to talk about options, please contact me. I can help.

  • California opens three-year window for victims of child sexual abuse

    California Enacts AB 218: Landmark Bill Protects Children from Sexual Abuse

    California Enacts AB 218: Landmark Bill Protects Children from Sexual Abuse

    Zero Abuse Project Commends the New Law, Which Opens a Three-Year Window for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Assault to Seek Justice and Hold Institutions Accountable.

    Sacramento CA, (October 13, 2019) – Zero Abuse Project today issued the following statement from Joelle Casteix, the only survivor to testify on behalf of California Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218), a founding board member of Zero Abuse Project and former Western Regional Leader of SNAP, on Governor Gavin Newsom signing AB 218 into law. The bill is an important step forward for survivors of child sexual abuse and is critical in the effort to protect California’s children. AB 218 tackles child sexual abuse in three ways: it opens a three-year “lookback window” for previously time barred claims; extends the civil statute of limitations to age 40; and widens the definition of childhood sexual abuse to childhood sexual assault. The three-year lookback window created by AB 218 opens on January 1, 2020. During this time, survivors of childhood sexual assault can bring civil suits against their predators and the institutions that covered for them, regardless of how long ago the crime occurred.

    “For almost 16 years, the courthouse doors have been closed to California’s adult survivors of childhood sexual assault – especially survivors from impoverished and immigrant communities. Today, Governor Newsom and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez changed the balance of power. Survivors can finally help protect kids by ensuring that what happened to them does not happen to another child.

    “Child sexual assault is a crime of power that uses sex as a weapon. Predators know that child victims are likely not to report. Predators rely on institutions for access and cover-up. Now, with this three-year civil window, survivors can expose abusers who are still working with children today, as well as the institutions that cover it up. We are sending a loud and clear message – predators and those who protect them are no longer safe in the Golden State.

    “Now that AB 218 is law, we will learn the true scope of the crimes of abuse and cover-up across the state. Predators will no longer have get out of jail free cards. Survivors will take back the reins, regaining control of their lives. Our children will be protected.”

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     Joelle Casteix testified as the main witness on behalf of AB 218 in Sacramento. She is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse in California and successfully sued the Catholic Church in 2002. Joelle is now a leading national spokesperson and advocate for other survivors. An expert on institutional child sexual abuse and cover-up, she is a TEDx presenter and the author of The Well-Armored Child, a Parent’s Guide to Preventing Child Sexual Abuse. She is a founding board member of Zero Abuse Project, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to eliminating child sexual abuse in all its forms. She is the former Western Regional Leader of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

  • Orange Bishop Kevin Vann needs a History Lesson, or

    Orange Bishop Kevin Vann needs a History Lesson, or

    Why Independent Compensation Programs are a Sham, Reason 3,298

    It was a throwaway quote by Orange Bishop Kevin Vann that gave him away.

    Yesterday, six dioceses across the state of California launched what they are calling the Independent Compensation Program (ICP) for Victim-Survivors of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests.

    The programs, modeled after similar programs in New York and elsewhere, aim to quickly compensate some victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church before further civil rights are opened up to them by state legislatures, as happened in New York and New Jersey.

    I go into more detail here about California’s plan and why survivors should WAIT and think VERY CAREFULLY about engaging.

    Vann’s Throw-Away Quote of Doom

    In his letter to parishioners explaining the program, Orange Bishop Kevin Vann tells us everything we need to know about how he feels about history, reform, victims, transparency, child safety, and civil rights for the abused.

    Catholic dioceses have also put in place strict policies and programs to protect people and to create safe environments in parishes, schools and other ministries. Hundreds of thousands of adults throughout the state have been trained in abuse prevention and reporting. Hundreds of thousands more in leadership positions have been fingerprinted and undergone background checks. Dioceses have implemented strict reporting requirements, working closely with local law enforcement officials to immediately report abuse allegations and remove accused perpetrators from ministry. The Diocese of Orange was one of the first Dioceses to put all of these in place. (emphasis mine)

    Why, pray tell, was the Diocese of Orange the first to put these into place? Was is goodwill? Christian charity? A willingness to live like Jesus?

    Nah. It was a sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit. They were FORCED TO AS TERMS OF THE SETTLEMENT.

    Even though the Diocese of Orange and Archdiocese of Los Angeles (at the time of the settlement) refused to acknowledge that Fr. Michael Harris was a serial perpetrator (even calling his actions “sins” instead of “crimes”), they, according to the Los Angeles Times, implemented:

    [eleven] changes to church procedures provided for in the settlement–which Ryan DiMaria’s attorney dubbed “Ryan’s Law”–include monitoring of schools and parishes, establishing a toll-free phone number and Web site for anonymous abuse complaints and forbidding priests to be alone in social settings with minors. Some of the rules are new, others reinforce existing regulations.

    Really? And Kevin Vann is now crowing about being a pioneer? Maybe he should reserve his time to going through priest, volunteer, and employee perpetrator files and making them public and turning everything over to law enforcement.

    But pretending that Orange is a leader in reforms is a sham. What Vann should have said is this:

    “We were a leader in getting busted for covering up child sex abuse. Victims and the courts forced us into changes that we have never really enforced.”

    If you had any questions about the integrity of the ICP, this should nail it for you.

     

  • Diocese of Rochester Bankruptcy: Let’s Talk Turkey

    Diocese of Rochester Bankruptcy: Let’s Talk Turkey

    This morning, New York’s Rochester Diocese became the 20th U.S. diocese to seek bankruptcy protection when faced with child sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits.

    Why did the diocese choose to seek bankruptcy protection?

    Bishop Matano (pictured above) is making this all about the Benjamins. He wants to elicit sympathy from parishioners, make the public think that Child Victims Act will “pull money from soup kitchens,” and scare survivors into silence by portraying them as the bad guys.

    But remember: When survivors come forward, it has nothing to do with money. And the crime is NEVER the fault of the child.

    The Diocese of Rochester let kids be sexually abused and raped for decades and then covered up the abuse and forced survivors into silence. These lawsuits are about exposing abusers, punishing wrongdoers, and keeping kids safe.

    Survivors want truth in civil trials. Bishop Matano declared bankruptcy to make sure that never happens.

    Bishop Salvatore Matano shut the courthouse doors for victims, stopped the ugly and embarrassing (for him) civil suits, and is now trying to shift the blame back onto survivors by pitting them against the Diocese of Rochester’s “ministries to the Catholic faithful.”

    Don’t be fooled.

    How many cases are there?

    According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, there are 59 civil suits pending against the diocese, which spans 12 counties.

    But this number is misleading.

    A closer look at the complaints shows that there are approximately 100 (yes, one hundred) victims who have come forward to say they were abused in the Diocese of Rochester. A number of the lawsuits filed are what I call “rodeo complaints,” that is, a single complaint lists numerous perpetrators and numerous victims.

    We are only one month into the 12-month window, so we can expect the number of cases to triple, at least.

     

    What happens now?

    Imagine a car going 100 miles per hour on the inside lane of a four lane highway. There is an exit .00001 miles ahead that says: “Bankruptcy, exit here.”

    The car doesn’t *quite* come to a screeching halt, but it makes one, hairy, life-altering swerve that no one in the passenger seats will ever forget. Will the car still get to the final destination? Yes. The route will just be a little different.

    The civil proceedings will move over to the federal bankruptcy courts. Further civil action on current cases will stop and instead be determined by the federal courts and new procedural policies will be put in place for new cases filed.

    I am not a mind reader, but I would not be surprised if other New York dioceses are watching things in Rochester very closely.

    What should you do?

    1. If you have filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Rochester, talk to your attorney. Do not worry. In addition to your case moving forward, there may be additional opportunities for you.
    2. If you were sexually abused in the Diocese of Rochester and have not yet filed a case, do not be discouraged. You can still come forward and expose what happened to you. Talk to an attorney and discuss your options. Need help choosing an attorney, watch my video here.
    3. If you are a parishioner, demand honest answers from the bishop about abuse and cover-up. Do not accept victim blaming. Read up on what happened when the Diocese of San Diego unsuccessfully tried to hide behind bankruptcy and were reprimanded by the federal courts.

     

     

  • Civil windows open questions. Here are some answers.

    Survivors of child sexual abuse often don’t know what to do when a civil window opens in their state. Here I answer some of the most common questions from my own experience in California’s 2003 civil window.