| May 13, 2008 Former Vermont altar boy awarded $8.7M
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(Anya Huneke, NECN: Burlington, VT) - The jury spent about four hours pouring over the details of the case, trying to decide whether Vermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese should be held accountable in the molestation of an altar boy in the 1970s.
Jurors found the Diocese guilty of negligence in its hiring and supervision of former priest Edward Paquette.
According to the evidence, the Diocese had been warned that Paquette had a history of molestation in Indiana and Massachusetts. Also known according to evidence, was that the Diocese knew Paquette continued to fondle boys in Vermont, including at Christ the King in Burlington, where the plaintiff, now 40, was an altar boy. He claims he was molested 40-100 times by Paquette over two years.
Compensatory damages were awarded in the amount of $950,000 dollars. Punitive damages totaled $7.75 million dollars. Attorneys for the Diocese were extremely disappointed with the verdict. They say the Diocese should not be this harshly punished for its actions this many years after the fact.
But the plaintiff's attorneys say things, in fact, haven't changed much...and neglect and abuse have continued. This verdict, they hope, will let the Diocese know, it can no longer get away with this type of reckless behavior.
As Vermont Bishop Salvatore Matano left the courtroom, he expressed concern for the victims of abuse, but also, for the Diocese, its parishes, and its parishioners, which will be impacted by
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