Roman Catholic Diocese of Vermont

Burlington, VT: (Aug-05-07) Neil Morrissette of St. Johnsbury brought a sexual abuse lawsuit against George Paulin, a Catholic priest. The suit claimed that Paulin molested Morrissette when he was 11, and the priest was assigned to be youth pastor to St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Newport. Morrissette said his family, wanting him to receive more guidance from the church, encouraged him to meet with the new youth pastor. After years of emotional wrangling with the issue, Morrissette filed his lawsuit against Paulin and the diocese on June 25, 2004. Progress in the case was delayed by disputes over missing church documents, the conduct of one of the church's lawyers, and an effort by the diocese to have the judge in the case removed based on claims he was biased against the church. In a settlement reached, the diocese agreed to pay Morrissette $135,000 to resolve the lawsuit against Paulin and the state's Roman Catholic diocese. [BURLINGTON FREE PRESS: YOUTH PASTOR ABUSE]

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Published on Aug-6-07