Father Donald Lutz
Ordained: 1970
Assigned as Follows:
- Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (Buffalo, NY)
- St. Leo the Great (Amherst, NY)
- Queen of Martyrs (Cheektowaga, NY)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Donald Lutz:
Father Donald Lutz was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Buffalo in 1970. According to media reports, in July 2020, a lawsuit was filed accusing him of repeated "unpermitted sexual contact" with a 13-year-old girl from 1975 to 1976. The lawsuit was filed under the Child Victims Act, in which the statute of limitations for a survivor of child sex abuse can be extended. The girl was a parishioner at St. Leo the Great in Amherst, where Father Lutz was assigned.
A second woman also claimed Father Lutz sexually abused her as a minor in the 1970s. She is not filing a lawsuit, but did contact the Victim Assistance Coordinator regarding the priest's behavior. In October 2020, Father Lutz was placed on administrative leave by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, pending an investigation into two allegations of sexual abuse from the 1970s. He was the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church at the time. Father Lutz denied both allegations, and claimed he was not made aware of the allegations against him until months later. In August 2021, the Diocese of Buffalo announced that its internal review board determination that allegations of sexual abuse by Donald Lutz at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in South Buffalo were substantiated. Lutz has been assigned to "permanent administrative leave" according to the Diocese.
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 Buffalo. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New York, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo 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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com