Lewd priest back in parish - church reneged
AMBAN
Parishioner's suit in Mobile against Catholic Archdiocese settled
2/3/2007, 6:53 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A parishioner who accused a Roman Catholic priest of sexual
harassment has reached a confidential settlement of her lawsuit against the
church, attorneys said.
Linda Ledet, a Mobile lawyer and artist, accused the Archdiocese of Mobile,
Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb and the Very Rev. Michael Farmer in 2004 of reneging
on their promise to pay for her counseling sessions.
The archdiocese denied the allegations. The case had been set for trial last
month, but the parties came to terms over the past few weeks, attorneys said.
Citing a confidentiality agreement, both sides declined to reveal terms of the
settlement.
Ledet and her husband and children were parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic
Church in Mobile, where the Rev. Paul Zoghby was an associate pastor from 1995
to 2001. According to her civil complaint, Zoghby in 1997 began making
"improper, unwelcome and obscene advances toward" her.
The advances, according to the suit, included trying to embrace Ledet
intimately, touching her sexually, making lewd comments, exposing his genitalia
and attempting to force her "physically and by command as her priest, to engage
in sexual relations with him."
The complaint claimed that Zoghby, who was not named as a defendant, warned that
he would accuse Ledet of initiating the contact if she reported him and
threatening "the eternal salvation of her soul if she revealed his misconduct."
After initially denying the allegations, Zoghby in 2002 admitted misconduct,
according to Lipscomb's account contained in an Alabama Supreme Court decision
that ordered the church to turn over records of Zoghby's counseling sessions to
Ledet's lawyers.
Ledet had agreed not to publicize the matter in exchange for a promise that
Zoghby would undergo the intensive therapy and that he would be placed in a
position where he could not harm others, according to her account.
In 2003, however, Ledet learned that Zoghby had returned to ministry and had
been promoted to pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Foley.
The revelation caused Ledet "emotional trauma," and she sought treatment at
several facilities. But the archdiocese refused to pay the bill, according to
her allegations.
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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister
Mircalla Karnstein
AMBAN wrote:
So the Bishops are not really protecting anyone it seems....
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> Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister
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Mircalla Karnstein
Eine Reise auf den Flügeln der Nacht,
um dem Alltag zu entfliehen in den Rausch der Phantasie.
Es ist bald so weit.
Ich lad Dich ein zum Mitternachtsball.
Sexual. Seductive. Ancient and alluring. Lesbian vampires—who can resist them? Whether they're out prowling
for a midnight snack or cozying up in the day with that special someone in their coffin, lesbian vampires
have been enthralling fans—and victims—since the dawn of creation.
AMBAN
Sounds familiar doesn't it? The woman was a victim. The church made promises
to keep the priest in a position where he wouldn't harm others. The church
lied. The woman had to sue to get money for counseling.
AMBAN
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>Mircalla Karnstein
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