Father Eric Swearingen
Diocese of Fresno
Ordained: 1987
Assigned as Follows:
- 1987-1988: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Bakersfield, CA)
- 1989: Our Lady of Victory (Fresno, CA)
- 1990-1991: St. John Vianney House (Fresno, CA)
- 1992-1998: St. Helen (Fresno, CA)
- 1999-2000: St. Peter (Lemoore, CA)
- 2001-2004: Holy Spirit (Fresno, CA)
- 2015-2016: St. Thomas the Apostle (Visalia, CA)
- 2015-2017: St. Mary (Visalia, CA)
- 2017-2018: Good Shepherd Catholic Parish (Visalia, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Eric Swearingen:
Fr. Eric Swearingen was ordained a priest in 1987 who served in the Diocese of Fresno. According to media reports, in 2002, Father Eric Swearingen was accused of sexually abusing a minor from 1989 to 1993 while working at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bakersfield, CA. The victim was an altar boy at the parish and filed a lawsuit that went to trial in 2006. The jury found the defendant guilty of child sex abuse, but fell short of enough votes to find the Diocese of Fresno guilty of any wrongdoing.
Therefore, the whole case ended in a mistrial. Instead of a retrial, Father Swearingen and the victim entered a binding arbitration to settle the lawsuit and the outcome was never made public. Eric Swearingen was found guilty of sex abuse, but has faced no punitive action and has been allowed to continue work as a priest.
As of 2018, he has been working at Good Shepherd Catholic Parish in Visalia.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in California, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Contact us at (954) 641-2100 (or toll-free at 888-283-9922). Email us at [email protected]