A $3,75 million settlement has been reached in the case of an Irish priest found liable in a civil case of child abuse in California.
A civil jury in Stockton, Southern California, found Fr. Michael Kelly, a Tipperary native, liable for molesting a young boy.
The Diocese of Stockton has now agreed to pay the victim and his legal representation $3.75 million.
“This 4 ½ years of litigation and 10-week trial has been the most difficult experience of my life, but I feel I have received justice today, not for me, but for that 10-year old boy who Fr. Kelly hurt so badly,” said the victim, now in his 30s, in a statement after the settlement was reached, according to FOX40 News.
Fr Michael Kelly departed to Ireland after a civil jury ruled that he had molested the boy. Because it is a civil case he did not break any law.
He wrote a letter to Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton after he left for Ireland.
In the letter he says: “By the time you read this letter I will be in Ireland with my family. I am sorry for any difficulty this may cause the Diocese, but my health can’t take it anymore.
“I have sat back and listened to the vicious false allegations that have been spread about me for the past 4½ years, and my health has suffered greatly because of it.
“I have spent the last 39 years of my life serving God and the people of the various parishes of the Diocese of Stockton. Now I have not only lost my ministry, but this whole thing has taken its toll on my very being.
“I have lost everything I have worked for because of these false allegations.”
Fr Kelly joined the Stockton diocese in 1973 after completing his seminary studies in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
He has denied the allegations against him repeatedly and his defence team stated he had passed a lie detector test.
21 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.merefalow | Apr 24, 2012, 11:26 AM EDT
he didnt depart for Ireland as you so quaintly describe it,he did a RUNNER,did he think the american justice system is unfair?did he think his trial was unfair,he,s like that rich indian who wont face up to his trial in the place the alledged crime was committed,but pleads all sort of excuses instead of wishing to do everything in his power to bring the murderers of his young and lovely wife to justice,the vatican should make him return or defrock him.the uk should make the indian guy go back.running away makes you guilty.
peterson | Apr 23, 2012, 01:53 PM EDT
The amount of the settlement was excessive and can only encourage more claims including false ones.
jamieLM | Apr 23, 2012, 10:04 AM EDT
Guess who's being asked to pay the piper for the child sex abuse cases and the cover ups. The RCC hierarchy has a lot of nerve to ask its parishioners to foot the bill for their sins.
IrelandNorth | Apr 23, 2012, 05:44 AM EDT
The dwindling and aging congregations of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Churche (HRC&AC) should be informed that the two or three collections at every mass, in every parish, in every diocese, in every province, may be used to inadvertently subsidise clerical child sexual abuse.
fatherelijah | Apr 23, 2012, 02:52 AM EDT
DrMcHugh is absolutely right! Even Pope Benedict is hiding behind his position for the crimes he committed. I know for a fact that Fr. Kelly is a compulsive liar and always acts innocent in whatever he does. He lies so pervasively that he often forgets what he lied about. He is a backstabber and I have never met a bigger coward and backstabber. Don’t believe this man for he feigns serving God and most possessively but rather he has always served himself. No innocent man runs from his verdict only a guilty man. He is scared beyond belief and does not want to be exposed any further, that is why hides behind his high anxiety. He has no concerned for his victims. I hope he reads these comments and makes his first act of courage in his life and come back to face justice. That is asking for the impossible. Sorry Mike I am just fed up.
Murph46 | Apr 22, 2012, 11:35 PM EDT
Katie -just to clue you in b4 you go off on another rant,repressed memory has to do with the victims memory who through a combination of shock,fear ,and self loathing forgets an event like molestation by a priest until it is triggered later in life by some event.
KatieMurphy | Apr 22, 2012, 11:19 PM EDT
REpressed memory - just another dodge of the heirarchy of hte frankenstein castle locatred in Rome........They also said eg it happened in the boy scouts. what the hierarchy forgets to admit is that the BScouts dealt with it quickely while there is some evidence the molestation has been going on for centuries....................Most likely sianc e about 1200 or so (? 1000) when the church forebade priests to marry.
KatieMurphy | Apr 22, 2012, 11:14 PM EDT
piliibo4 Dont worry -we all need to work to insure more of these types of cases are settled for high numbers. SNAP estimates that 10000 priests in the USA abused 100,000 kids......Work out the numbers assuming that 5000 kids got $2 million each (half / half) Thats 10 Billion. the ultiamte punishment for the 'church' of the endless hidden molestation of children..................... Zilch church and hierarchy in the unemployment lines discovering that they are not eleigicble, including I beleive SS benefits.
pilib04 | Apr 22, 2012, 06:42 PM EDT
This is the same piece of garbage that the pious posters were jabbering about this past week. Almost $4 million is to be paid out for this priest-rapist. The only thing more disgusting than this priest is the bishop who hid him and the Church that continues to assist him.
Murph46 | Apr 22, 2012, 02:49 PM EDT
Mercyneal-as written in these columns earlier in the week,it was described as repressed memory,if the other reports are true,jail the bastard.I am no longer RC as a result of this nonwithstanding.The higher ups are a very sorry lot!
Mercyneal | Apr 22, 2012, 12:51 PM EDT
I wanted to add that the psychological evaluation where they found Kelly had pedophile tendencies was in 2000; the incident involving the victim who was molested at St. Andrew's in San Andreas happened in 2002- two years after the Diocese was warned not to have Kelly be around children at all.
Mercyneal | Apr 22, 2012, 12:49 PM EDT
HermitTalker: Guess you missed the Stockton Vicar's testimony this week - printed in all of the Stockton area papers- that after a number of complaints from parents, Kelly was evaluated by a Bay Area psychiatrist. That psychiatrist found that he had pedophile tendencies and told the Diocese that Kelly SHOULD NOT EVER WORK AROUND CHILDREN. This was back in 2002. And you do know that last year a young man came forward to say he had been molested at St. Patricks in San Adreas, right? And that this is not a case of repressed memory? That would mean that after being warned about Kelly's pedophiliac tendencies the church kept him on. The victim at the press conference was right to ask law enforcement why the church kept him on. In Philadelphia, as we speak, a Monsignor is on criminal trial for failing to do anything about pedophile priests.
Mercyneal | Apr 22, 2012, 12:45 PM EDT
Donegal6: You are aware that the victim went to the police FIRST and found out that his case was too old for a criminal case, are you not? In California, you only have until your 29th birthday to come forward. That's why out of statute victims file civil suits. Law enforcement find civil suits to be helpful, because the media writes stories, which draws out new victims, and often the new victims are within statute for a criminal case.
NYCsheridan | Apr 22, 2012, 12:34 PM EDT
Your collection plate donations at work!
Mercyneal | Apr 22, 2012, 12:11 PM EDT
Donegal 6: Papers are reporting that a number of victims have gone to the police. Police are asking for other Kelly victims to come forward. The Union Times Democrat reports that the DA and Sheriff are weighing what to do about Kelly, including issuing an arrest warrant.
Mercyneal | Apr 22, 2012, 12:10 PM EDT
Murph46: nope, you are way off on this. In 2011, another young man, in his early twenties went to the Calaveras County Sheriff's office to say he had been violently sexually assaulted by Kelly when he was 10. He never forgot what happened to him. As I state in another post the papers are now reporting that a number of other victims have stepped forward to the police. As usual, whenever one victim paves the way , and there are news stories, those who were too afraid to come forward now feel empowered to do so. Watch for an arrest warrant.
DrMcHugh | Apr 22, 2012, 11:09 AM EDT
It is very rare, in my experience, for a predator priest to admit his guilt in sexually abusing innocent children. Also, it is my understanding that the results of lie detector tests are not always reliable. I have met many who have been sexually abused by priests. I believe that, among the worst tragedies, is the attempt by the predator priest, the American hierarchy, and the lawyers hired by the bishops, to re-victimize the victims of priest sexual abuse in court. A good number of victims around the world have committed suicide because their story was not believed to be true. Many leaders of the Roman Catholic Church today, including Pope Benedict XVI, are abusing their authority, protecting predator priests, and attempting to damage the reputations of the victims. As a physician I ask myself, where is Jesus in the leadership of my church??? Sincerely, Dr Rosemary Eileen McHugh, Chicago, Illinois
hermitTalker | Apr 22, 2012, 10:06 AM EDT
the RC Church learned as AA and the medical profession has tuaght the world, addiction is a disease that ruins soul and body. This cleric was obviously not an addict, ONE "repressed memory" case does not an addict make and a man who passed a lie detector test is not a pervert. A CA jury found OJ not guilty you may recall! To deny that he is with family in his home area as the news reports stated, and in a monastery makes me glad you are not a cop, a prosecutor or a judge or on a jury Mr Tully. OR one of the many US bishops whose reputation is known for denying due process to accused clergy because someone might stop his little butt from sitting on a bigger Cathedral chair. Justice for only some is not justice. Your type prove the need for better screening.
Donegal6 | Apr 22, 2012, 09:56 AM EDT
Wait till the "victim" gets the money and starts getting drunk and braggin about it, I hope a private investigated is there to here about what a bunch of garbage the whole thing was if that's the case. Passing a lie detector is pretty good evidence that he is innocent but the civil requirement is NOT beyond a shadow of a doubt, so it's much easier to win that a criminal.
Murph46 | Apr 22, 2012, 09:50 AM EDT
This was the "repressed memory "trial,only god and the involved persons know the truth.But the RC church certainly has done little in these cases but sweep them under the rug.
MichaelJTully | Apr 22, 2012, 08:27 AM EDT
Where is this pervert hiding, is he being protected in a monastery in Ireland.