Long Island’s Catholic juggernaut, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, goes to trial Monday as part of a lawsuit involving a rape charge against former East Meadow youth minister Matthew Maiello.
The suit, which asks for $150 million in damages, is unique because its outcome will be decided by a jury. Often, abuse cases involving the church have been settled out of court.
According to an Associated Press story, Maiello will not contest the allegations and will accept the verdict. However, this trial will probe whether church officials, including ones from the Diocese, ignored reports about Maiello’s misconduct.
From the story:
The real focus is St. Raphael’s Church in East Meadow, its pastor, the Rev. Thomas Haggerty, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre.“This is about who let the lions loose,” said attorney Michael Dowd, who represents two plaintiffs.
The pair — a man and a woman — claimed that as teenagers, they were repeatedly molested by Maiello, and that church officials failed to act when confronted by reports that the youth minister was acting inappropriately.
“Our allegations are that the church was not only negligent but reckless in its handling of the employment of Maiello,” said Dowd. “There were warning signs … that weren’t dealt with at all by the pastor.”
