Father Russell L. Dillard
Archdiocese of Washington
Ordained: 1978
Removed: 2002
Laicized: 2003
Assigned as follows:
- St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church (Washington, DC)
- St. Anthony’s Catholic Church (Washington, DC)
- St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church (Washington, DC)
- Howard University (Washington, DC)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Russell L. Dillard:
According to media reports, in March 2002, two adult women reported to the Archdiocese of Washington that Father Russell L. Dillard engaged in sexual misconduct with them when they were teenagers. The women alleged Father Dillard kissed and touched them inappropriately when he was assigned to St. Anthony in Washington D.C.
One woman said in an interview that she and Father Dillard did not have intercourse but did engage in intense kissing and inappropriate touching. They often spent hours at a time alone together. She recalled that they were together in the sitting room off his rectory bedroom “making out for long periods of time, every day, watching television.”
When confronted, Father Dillard purportedly admitted that he might have “crossed over a line” with at least one teenage girl, yet denied that his contact with them was inappropriate.
The Archdiocese of Washington suspended Father Dillard and and ordered him to undergo a psychological evaluation at St. Luke Institute, a notorious facility for troubled clergy in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Archdiocese also notified the police, but the District of Columbia police officials said the incidents occurred beyond the district’s six-year statute of limitations for such crimes.
It does not appear that Dillard ever returned to active ministry. In 2003, Dillard was laicized. He later took a secular job advising people trying to get health care.
In October 2018, Father Dillard’s name appeared on the Archdiocese of Washington’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.
Dillard is believed to be residing in the Woodbridge, Virginia, area. He is 65 years old.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Washington, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington 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 [email protected] to discuss your options today.