Diocese settles abuse lawsuit with Massachusetts man

The Diocese of Albany has settled a lawsuit in Massachusetts in which a former priest of the Diocese was accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1970s.

The lawsuit was settled to the satisfaction of both the victim and the Diocese for $500,000, and does not include a confidentiality agreement. It is not part of the $85-million settlement that the Boston Archdiocese reached with victims last week. The settlement will be paid through the diocesan self-insurance fund.

"We investigate every allegation, evaluate the merits of every case and are committed to treating victims of clergy sexual abuse with compassion," said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard. "Given the circumstances of this particular case and the civil law regarding sexual abuse claims in Massachusetts, we believe this settlement is fair to the victim and to the Diocese."

Allegations

The lawsuit alleged that Dozia Wilson abused a teenager from the Albany Diocese while assigned to a Boston-area parish. The victim notified the Albany Diocese of the abuse in 1997 and has received counseling assistance paid for by the Diocese since then.

The lawsuit was filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts in May. The original settlement demand advanced to the Albany Diocese was for $2 million.

Both parties agreed to seek to resolve the lawsuit through mediation. After extensive mediation by an independent Massachusetts attorney with attorneys representing the Diocese and the victim, the settlement was completed in August. The settlement was approved by the Albany Diocese Sexual Misconduct Review Panel and the Diocesan Finance Council.

As its policy, the Albany Diocese will report the dollar value of this settlement in the aggregate total value of settlements in clergy sexual abuse cases in its June 2004 public report on the matter. In its June 2003 report, the Diocese said that it had provided $2.5 million in settlements to clergy sexual abuse victims over the last 25 years.

Background

Wilson left the Albany area in 1976 after allegations of sexual misconduct. When he sought an assignment as a priest in Boston, the Albany Diocese informed the Archdiocese of Boston of Wilson's background.

In 1990, when a new concern was raised about Wilson, who had returned to the Albany Diocese, Bishop Hubbard removed him from his post as an associate pastor in Hudson and revoked his priestly faculties. In 1993, at Bishop Hubbard's request, Wilson formally resigned from the priesthood. He is no longer a priest of any diocese.

The Diocesan Sexual Misconduct Review Panel continues to investigate several other allegations of clergy sexual abuse. The Albany Diocese has a zero-tolerance policy for clergy sexual abuse of minors. Any priest or deacon against whom an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor at any time is substantiated will be removed from ministry.

(9/18/03) [[In-content Ad]]