Father Gerald Plesetz
Ordained: 1970
Laicized: 1978
Assignment History:
- 1971-1972: St. Rose of Lima (Maywood, CA)
- 1973-1976: St. Edward Church (Dana Point, CA)
- 1976: St. Bridget (Van Nuys, CA)
- 1977: St. Cecilia Church (Tustin, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Gerald Plesetz:
Fr. Gerald Plesetz was ordained a priest in 1970. He was excardinated to the Diocese of Orange in 1976, and served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. According to media reports, at least two survivors have alleged sexual abuse by Fr. Plesetz between 1973 and 1977. He left the priesthood in 1977 to marry. He was laicized in 1978.
In 2002, Fr. Plesetz was arrested on charges of child sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s while working at St. Edward in Dana Point. The charges were later dropped. At least one civil suit has been filed against him. Father Plesetz was included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' list of priests accused of sexual misconduct involving minors.
Records from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reflect that in April 2002, an adult woman reported that when she was a 16-year-old student at Mater Dei High School and a parishioner at St. Edward's Parish in Dana Point, she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter in 1975. She named Plesetz was the father. Two months later, another adult woman reported that when she was 24 and a parishioner at St. Edward's Parish, Dana Point, she gave birth to a daughter in 1978. She also named Fr. Plesetz as the father.
In February 2017, Father Plesetz was arrested on molestation charges after allegedly confessing to an undercover deputy who was posing as the daughter, he is accused of helping put up for adoption three decades earlier. According to a criminal complaint filed by the district attorney's office, the victim alleged she was molested by Father Plesetz when she was 14 years old between April 1972 and October 1974. The woman claimed she was a choir member at St. Edward Catholic Church when she first met Father Plesetz, who played piano for the choir, the complaint said. She told her parents that he was the father. According to the complaint, Father Plesetz told the family he would take care of it and paid the birth and subsequent adoption expenses.
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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.