The Seattle Times reported in an article on January 14, 2009 that the President of Seattle University, Rev. Stephen Sundborg, has been sued. The claim is that since he is president, Sundborg must have been aware of an abusive Jesuit priest. Nonetheless, the priest was allowed to continue with the ministry. According to the Seattle personal injury lawsuit, more than 40 victims claim to have been abused when they were children or teenagers by Sundborg and/or other defendants who are mentioned in the lawsuit. The suit also states that Sundborg had examined “hell files” which were files comprising of information about priests that was “not public,” and “not good.”
Given this information, Sundborg must have been aware of Rev. Henry Hargreaves past of child abuse. The priest now resides with a Jesuit community in Spokane.
Sundborg issued the following statement, “The allegations brought against me are false. I firmly deny them. I want the victims and the entire community to know that. The complaint filed by the plaintiffs’ lawyers represents an unprincipled and irresponsible attack on my reputation. Let me be clear – my commitment to justice and reconciliation for all victims remains steadfast. The sexual abuse by Catholic priests is one of the most shameful episodes in the history of our church. I will continue to work toward the goal of bringing healing to all victims.”
The lawsuit states the abuses took place from around the 1950s to the early 1990s in far off Alaskan villages.
Abuse cases can be very traumatic and difficult for all involved. Let the experienced law offices of Bernard Law Group represent you. You can rest assured that our experienced Washington personal injury lawyers will not rest until a more than satisfactory outcome is reached in your case. Please call 1-800-418-8282 for a free consultation.