Jury Awards $16 Million to Abuse Survivor in Civil Case Against Oakland, California, Diocese

A jury in Oakland has awarded $16 million to a survivor in a civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland. The verdict could have broad implications for hundreds of similar clergy abuse cases.

The lawsuit was one of hundreds filed by survivors of clergy abuse against the diocese. Most of those cases have been on hold since the diocese filed for bankruptcy three years ago. A judge allowed this case, along with a handful of others, to move forward, and it is the first to reach a verdict.

The plaintiff, identified in the lawsuit as “John Doe,” said he was sexually abused more than 50 years ago by former East Bay priest Stephen Kiesle. The jury found the diocese liable and awarded $16 million in damages. The verdict was reached in a civil proceeding, not a criminal one.

The survivor’s attorney, Rick Simons, said the verdict brings some closure to his client and could encourage others to come forward. “Relieved that a 16-year trial has come to an end, exonerated of the shame and guilt that he’s carried since he was 10 years old,” Simons said.

Simons, who is also on a legal team representing Catholic clergy cases in Northern California, said there are at least 60 cases linked to Kiesle and hundreds more tied to the Oakland Diocese. “And there are hundreds of kids who either never came forward, who died early, who are living on the streets,” he said. Simons said jurors in this so-called test trial made a statement with the verdict, protecting children from harm being the duty of institutions that hold spiritual authority over them (Psalm 82:3).

Simons also said the jurors’ decision sent a message to other institutions and their insurance companies. “They’re telling all of these institutions and their insurance companies that we’ve had enough and we recognize the depth of harm in a child abuse case even if these other institutions and people won’t,” he said.

Kiesle was sentenced to six years in prison in 2004 after a wave of molestation cases surfaced against him. He is currently in prison in connection with a separate 2022 vehicular manslaughter case.

NBC Bay Area reached out to the Oakland Diocese for comment but has not received a response.

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