Brother William Farrington – Diocese of Sacramento

| Jun 9, 2020 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Brother  William Farrington

Diocese of Sacramento/Jesuit Order

Ordained: 1964

Retired: 2002

Assignment History:

  • 1964-1974: Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA)
  • 1974-1976: Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA)
  • 1976-1987: Jesuit High School (Carmichael, CA)
  • 1987-2002: Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA)
  • 2003: Sacred Heart Jesuit Center (Los Gatos, CA)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Brother William Farrington:

As of 2012, Jesuit Brother William C Farrington has been accused of sexual abuse by at least six people under 18. Two sexual abuse accusations came from his time at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California, where he was a dormitory supervisor and swim coach. An additional four came from his time at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California. In 1987, Farrington was removed from Jesuit High after the two reports of “misconduct” came out. He was then barred from working with minors.

According to media reports, Farrington was hired at Loyola Marymount University, where he spent the next 15 years on the University’s campus until 2002 when more allegations surfaced of sexual abuse that occurred between 1976-87. The presidents of both schools wrote letters to alumni publicly apologizing for Farrington’s sexual misconduct and claiming them as credible.

Farrington was included in the Jesuits West Province 2018 list of Jesuits with credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor.

In 2002, Farrington was officially removed from ministry and placed in the Sacred Heart Jesuit Treatment Center in Los Gatos, California, where he is still living. It is unclear whether L.M.U. was made aware of the allegations of abuse against Farrington when they hired him, even though some students were under 18.

In 2020, a lawsuit was filed claiming that Farrington abused a student from Bellarmine College Preparatory in the 1960s.  Two additional lawsuits filed in 2022 accuse Farrington of assaulting two young students while performing unnecessary hernia checks at the infirmary.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Sacramento in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Sacramento now have legal options due to a temporary change in the law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.

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