Father Robert de Otero
Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Extern)
Ordained: 1977
Removed: 1993
Assignment History:
- 1977-1979: Sacred Heart of Jesus (Medford, OR)
- 1977-1979: St. Joseph (Jacksonville, OR)
- 1979-1980: St. Andrew (Portland, OR)
- 1980-1981: Sick Leave
- 1981-1982: Sacred Hearts Academy
- 1982-1983: On Duty Outside the Archdiocese
- 1983-1984: Our Lady of the Mount (Honolulu, HI)
- 1984-1987: St. John the Baptist
- 1987-1989: Leave of Absence
- 1990-1993: Military Chaplain
- 1993-1997: On Duty Outside the Diocese
- 1998-2002: Leave of Absence
- 2003: Unknown
- 2004: Leave of Absence
- 2005: Retired
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Robert de Otero:
Fr. Robert de Otero was ordained a priest in 1977, and served in multiple parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. According to media reports, in May 2002, a civil lawsuit alleged that Father Robert de Otero sexually abused two altar boys in the late 1980s at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Kalihi, Hawaii. The lawsuit stated that Fr. de Otero kissed the boys and touched their genitals. According to the suit, both men said their memories were repressed until they saw national media coverage of the Church’s sexual abuse scandal earlier that year.
In June 2004, the lawsuit was settled. Two months later, in August, a second one was filed, alleging Fr. de Otero had sexually abused another boy at the same parish in 1985.
Father de Otero requested a personal leave of absence in 1987 for unknown reasons and became a Navy chaplain in 1989. In 1992, he resigned from his post after admitting to sexually abusing a boy at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, California. In 1993, he was one of four priests that former Hawaii Bishop Francis DiLorenzo removed from public ministry, amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Father de Otero was one of three priests that admitted to the misconduct. He was still a member of the diocese, in 2004, which provided for his living expenses and medical coverage, as it did for the three other men removed from service by Bishop DiLorenzo. In 2005, he retired. Fr. de Otero is listed on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ List of Archdiocesan Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minors.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles 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 Archdiocese of Los Angeles now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 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.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.