Father Louis E. Douglas
Ordained: 1958
Retired: 1993
Dead: 2011
Assigned as follows:
- St. Catherine of Siena (Albany, NY)
- Our Lady of Mercy (Albany, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Louis E Douglas:
According to media reports, in May 2003, a man accused Louis E Douglas as one of four priests that sexually abused him as a teen, from 1975 through 1979. The abuse allegedly occurred at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Church in Schenectady, New York where Father Jupin was pastor. According to the suit, the man said that he was "passed around" by the priests, who knew he was a teenager from a broken home and "in need of a father figure".
Douglas was placed on leave. He had also faced sexual abuse allegations in Delaware and was immediately suspended from his part-time ministry duties in two separate parishes there. In 2004, the Diocese of Albany Review board found no 'reasonable grounds' for the 2003 allegation.
Weeks after Douglas was cleared of sexual abuse charges, two outraged women with past ties to the Albany parish alleged that Bishop Howard Hubbard admitted to them that Douglas watched two boys perform an indecent act in front of him in the 1960s. The women also said Bishop Hubbard "explained away" the incident by allegedly stating that Douglas did it to make the children feel more comfortable with their sexuality.
"I was appalled, and said to the bishop, 'since when is that an appropriate method of teaching?'" one woman said. "Why do we let these priests get free passes at the victim's expense?"
Church officials acknowledged it received a previous complaint about Douglas in 1992, involving an allegation that he had two boys undress and masturbate in front of him, but did not touch them in the 1960s. Douglas denied the allegation. Church officials said there was no proof to substantiate the allegation, but did pay the claimant a settlement.
In 1993, Douglas retired from his post at St. Catherine of Siena shortly after the investigation. He was sent to a treatment center in New Mexico. In 1996, he was cleared for work in the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware.
In March 2011, Bishop Hubbard placed Douglas and two other retired priests on administrative leave for allegedly abusing a minor in Albany between 1986 and 1991. At the time, he was under medical care in a nursing facility in Delaware.
Douglas died in May 2011. Several months later, he was cleared of the allegation.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Albany. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Albany, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Albany now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.