Newark Archdiocese Clergy Abuse
Nine lawsuits filed against the Catholic Church on Monday include allegations of sex abuse against seven clerics — including two priests who worked for years after church officials were told of alleged abuse and a religious brother who worked at a Florida university until two years ago despite a criminal conviction.
Taken together, they allege abuse by four archdiocese priests and three members of religious orders, including one cleric who had not been publicly accused of abuse before Monday.
The priests — Kenneth Martin, Gerald Sudol, Joseph Rice and John Capparelli — were all on a list of credibly accused clerics the archdiocese issued last year. Rice was listed as deceased. Capparelli was fatally shot in Nevada shortly after the list was released.
The suits also include allegations against two members of the Xaverian Brothers religious order who worked at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale in the 1980s. One of them, John Dagwell, was criminally convicted of sex abuse years ago and now lives in Florida. Another brother, Peter Russell, was accused for the first time.