NASHUA, N.H. (AP) – A Roman Catholic high school says three former students who have accused a teacher of sexually molesting them were responsible for their own abuse, according to court documents.
The men are among 10 suing Bishop Guertin High School and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, the Rhode Island-based religious order that runs the school, saying they failed to protect students from abusive teachers and covered up allegations.
In a response filed last week, the school and order denied any liability for the alleged abuse and said “the injuries suffered by the plaintiff, if any, were caused by his own failure to exercise reasonable care.”
Similar so-called comparative fault defenses have been used in other clergy sexual abuse cases, angering victims and alleged victims who have said they should not be blamed for their own abuse.
“It demonstrates a very unfortunate continuing insensitivity by the defendants and their lawyers to the nature of these cases and to the harm they have caused my clients,” the men’s lawyer, lawyer Peter Hutchins, said Thursday.
A lawyer for Bishop Guertin and the order would not elaborate on the filing.
“It’s the defense’s position that these will be tried in the courts before Judge (William) Groff and not in the public media,” Matthew Cairns said. “The defenses speak for themselves.”
Cairns would not say whether the school or the order considered the effect its legal defenses had on the alleged victims.
The school and the order “have filed defenses they believe may be applicable in this case,” he said. “At this time, we’re not waiving any defenses.”
In their motion, the school and order also say they at all times acted with reasonable care, that the lawsuits were filed too late, and that any harm to the men was caused by “third parties over whom the defendants had no authority or control.”
The three men named in the motion say they were abused by Brother Guy Beaulieu, who taught at Bishop Guertin from 1971 to 1991 and has since admitted molesting about 20 students. He has not been charged with any crimes.
During the past year five Bishop Guertin teachers, including Beaulieu, have been accused of molesting minors with allegations dating back to 1971.
AP-ES-05-15-03 1244EDT
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