Vermont Catholic parishes sue to block pending priest abuse lawsuits, arguing no authority over clergy

A group of seven Vermont Catholic parishes has filed a federal lawsuit arguing they cannot be held legally responsible for decades-old clergy sexual abuse because they never had the authority to appoint, supervise, transfer or discipline priests.

The complaint, filed July 21 in U.S. District Court in Vermont, seeks a declaratory judgment blocking pending state court lawsuits and related bankruptcy litigation against the parishes. The plaintiffs include Christ the King Parish in Rutland, St. Augustine Parish in Montpelier, and others.

The lawsuit arises from decades of clergy sexual abuse litigation involving the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. In 2010, the Diocese reached a roughly $30 million settlement resolving more than two dozen abuse claims.

Facing more than 100 new claims, the Diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2024 in an effort to establish a global settlement for survivors. More recently, attorneys representing abuse survivors filed lawsuits against individual parishes, arguing they share liability for abuse that occurred within their churches.

The lawsuit’s central argument is that under Roman Catholic canon law, only the bishop and the Diocese of Burlington have authority over priests. “The parishes had no authority over the pastors

Source: Read the original report

Source record preserved at time of reporting.