Brother Claude Riffel
Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Franciscan)
Ordained: 1940
Reported: 2009
Died: 1977
Assignment History:
- 1940-1945: St. Anthony’s (Santa Barbara, CA)
- 1945-1946: St. Mary’s (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1955-1958: Serra High (Salem, OR)
- 1958-1968: St. Francis (Troutdale, OR)
- 1968-1968: Holy Cross (Mesilla Park, NM)
- 1968-1969: Ascension (Portland, OR)
- 1969-1974: St. Francis (Spokane, WA)
- 1974-1976: St. Anthony’s (Santa Barbara, CA)
- 1976: St. Francis (Sacramento, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Brother Claude Riffel:
Claude Riffel was a Franciscan priest ordained in 1940 who served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. According to media reports, in 2009, he was named in a $4M lawsuit filed against the Franciscan Friars of California by a Portland man alleging sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of Fr. Riffel.
The alleged assault occurred while Fr. Riffel served at the St. Francis Minor Seminary in Troutdale, Oregon, between 1962 and 1965. According to the lawsuit, Fr. Riffel, then the Dean of discipline for the school, would call the 15-year-old boy out of class on the pretext of assigning him work tasks and then would abuse him.
Sexual abuse allegations were also reported to the Santa Barbara Franciscan Friars in the years following.
Fr. Riffel died in 1977. His name is listed on the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans’ list in 2019 and on the Las Cruces Diocese’s list of Deceased Credibly Accused in 2019.
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.