Archbishop of New Orleans accused of personal hiding child abuse lawsuit | New Orleans clergy abuse

New lawsuit against Roman Catholic Archdiocese New Orleans Its first two officials accused the city’s archbishop Gregory AymondPersonally concealed child sexual abuse Pastor and Deacon – And ask the judge to refuse to use future retirement benefits as a guarantee of punishment.

The Archdiocese responded that the allegations filed by plaintiff Argent Institutional Trust Co were unfounded.

“The allegations raised by Argentina in the lawsuit are based on third-hand reports and assumptions, and there is no fact to confirm them,” a church spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The lawsuit contains the most direct allegations of wrongdoing against Aymond in court applications so far, not from any survivor of abuse, but from lawyers representing investors who bought $41 million in debt in 2017.

Argent is the bond trustee and filed lawsuits Tuesday against Archdiocese, Armond, Rev. Pat Williams and 104 Archbishops and institutions.

Argent claimed that before investors agreed to buy the church’s bond debt in 2017, they oversee branches of Aymond, Williams and Church, who oversee “the extent of covering up the abuse.”

The lawsuit noted that Aymond disclosed a list of 57 alleged clergy in 2018, but has since added at least 22 names to the list. In multiple cases, these additions follow Report A reporter from WWL, Louisiana and now The Guardian (reporting partners at the station) highlighted certain clergy who seemed to meet the criteria of inclusion but had been omitted.

Argent cites reports from Guardian and WWL in 2023 and 2024 to enhance its claims Aymond and Williams “knowing that some or all of the employees over the years [church affiliates] Children with sexual abuse and other vulnerable groups”.

This includes a story from 2023 Leaked memo It was pointed out that there were 310 priests, deacons and other church employees in the claims for the Federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection case filed by the Archdiocese three years ago. – But only one quarter made it to Aymond’s official list.

It also includes WWL and guardianReports of Louisiana Police Search Warrants targeting the Archbishop’s jurisdiction may be justified in believing that the church knew about widespread abuse for decades and was “covered and not reported to law enforcement.”

The lawsuit also cites news media’s 2024 report on secret church archives exposed in civil lawsuits against retired pastors Lawrence HeckerShortly before his death, he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and raping of a minor boy. story lead Previously hidden emails informed Aymond of a long history of abuse in 2011, with the Archbishop informing the public for the first time seven years.

In July, the Archdiocese and a committee of abuse survivors proposed a plan to resolve the bankruptcy plan, with approximately 660 survivors going to have the opportunity to approve or reject the plan by October 29.

The program provides survivors with $180 million to $235 million, estimated to account for about one-sixth of the midpoint of the claim’s value. Under the settlement, the church has stopped paying interest to bondholders, and the Argentinian pointed out that this will also significantly reduce payments to church investors by about $9.3 million. This led Argentina to accuse the Archdiocese of “the definition of securities fraud” in open courts. The church’s lawyers called it “extreme.”

The proposed bankruptcy settlement will allegedly leave some church creditors short of some churches, but the plan will guarantee full retirement pension benefits to all pastors who have not yet determined as abusers, including Aymond and Williams. The church’s financial records estimate that the pension obligation for pensioners is $55 million.

The proposed settlement also shelved investment accounts worth at least $149 million held by the church’s branches to ensure they essentially “pass” bankruptcy, as if it had never happened.

Argent’s lawsuit requires bankruptcy judge Meredith Grabill to order the church and its branches to pay the bondholders in full – before any pastor can collect retirement benefits and before the parish and other church branches can cash out their investments.

Argent accused Aymond and Williams of serving as officials in each church branch who did not report all known abuse cases to law enforcement or child protection services in accordance with 1993 church policy requirements. Therefore, Argent claimed that the two should forfeit their right to collect benefits in front of bondholders.

In November, Aymond was 75 years old, like all Catholic bishops, church law requires his retirement letter to be submitted to the Vatican. Neither Pope Francis nor the late Pope Leo Xiv accepted the retirement of Aymond.

Aymond is expected to remain in his position until the bankruptcy case is fully resolved.