Clergy Sex Abuse

A new lawsuit filed in June against the Archdiocese of Miami has brought back a horrific case involving Neil Doherty, a former Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing minors over several decades. This recent filing is part of a larger, ongoing battle that has seen multiple survivors of Doherty’s abuse come forward, seeking justice for […]

Two Romanian men have filed lawsuits in U.S. District Court in California accusing former Riverside megachurch pastor Paul Havsgaard of sexually abusing and trafficking children at a shelter he ran in Bucharest. The plaintiffs, Marian Barbu and Mihai-Constantin Petcu, allege that Havsgaard abused them and dozens of other children for eight years while operating the

Jeffrey Williams Zabel, the pastor of worship and service production at Arbor Road Church (ARC) in Long Beach, California, was arrested on September 9, 2025, after admitting to viewing child sex abuse material for more than a decade. The 50-year-old pastor, who also served as a part-time music and choir teacher at Lakewood Christian Schools

Rev. David Ryan, a priest and clergy member in Chicago, is facing fresh allegations of child sexual abuse. The allegations are connected to his tenure at Maryville Academy, a church-run home for troubled youth. The Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, has acknowledged the new accusations in a letter sent to the St. Francis

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it faces 153 claims of clergy sexual abuse. Church officials stated that the bankruptcy process would help them avoid insolvency while ensuring continued ministry within the diocese. However, the move has sparked strong criticism from abuse survivors and their attorneys, who accuse

On July 14, 2025, survivors filed eight lawsuits in New Mexico’s Third Judicial District. These lawsuits alleged that victims were sexually abused as children by priests with the Diocese of El Paso and Diocese of Las Cruces from the 1960s to 1990s. They also accuse several deceased priests in Southern New Mexico parishes of sexual misconduct

Allegations Against Pastor Robert Hoeffner A civil lawsuit filed on May 30, 2025, accuses former Pastor Robert Hoeffner of the Diocese of Orlando of sexually abusing a minor, Shawn Teuber, over several years. The suit claims that Hoeffner groomed and abused Teuber during his time as a student at St. Joseph Catholic School in Palm

A Sanford pastor, Yersson Solarte, has been arrested in connection with disturbing allegations of sexual abuse involving two underage girls at Ipul Pentecostal Church in Sanford, Florida. While Solarte has not been charged yet, he faces accusations of inappropriately touching the victims and sexually assaulting one of them during church events. Investigation into Yersson Solarte’s

The faith community in Palatka was rocked recently when Pastor Leo Parker of Emerge Church was arrested after being accused of sexually abusing a minor. The allegations, which span several years, have left church members and the local community in shock and disbelief. Details of the Allegations On April 16, Pastor Parker, 42, surrendered to

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) reportedly ruled against consolidating over 50 child sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). The lawsuits, which span decades, allegedly claim that the church failed to protect children from sexual abuse by clergy, missionaries, teachers, and even family members associated

Theodore E. McCarrick was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of New York on June 15, 1958. Shortly thereafter, he began his career in the church, with claims of sexual abuse following him through much of his ecclesiastical ascent. One of the earliest individuals to allege abuse, James Grein, later claimed that McCarrick had