Brother Robert Ryan
Diocese of Rockville Centre / Marist Brothers
Ordained: Unknown
Died: 2017
Assignment History:
- 1970s: Marist Catholic High School (Eugene, OR)
- 1970s: Marist Catholic High School (Chicago, IL)
- 1980s: St. Mary’s College Preparatory High School (Manhasset, NY)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Brother Robert Ryan:
According to media reports, a lawsuit was filed in March 2021 against the Marist Brothers and the Diocese of Rockville Centre, claiming Brother Robert Ryan sexually abused a boy at St. Mary’s College Preparatory High School in Manhasset, NY, from 1981-1983. According to the suit, Br. Ryan repeatedly raped and sodomized the victim at least twice a week, a total of about 75 times over two years, along with other boys at the school. He states that Br. Ryan gave him alcohol and would become violent at times. According to the victim, Br. Ryan was known among students as “Brother M-Bomb” for his “obsession with masturbation.” Brother Ryan worked at the school as a guidance counselor.
In October 2020, a lawsuit was filed against the Marist Catholic High School in Eugene and the Marist Brothers of the Schools in New York for $3.25 million alleging that Brother Ryan sexually abused a teenage boy from 1975-1977, when Ryan was the vice-principal at Marist Catholic High School in Eugene, OR. According to that lawsuit, Ryan abused the student for two years. The alleged abuse occurred in Ryan’s office, at the school, and on weekend school trips to the Oregon Coast. The abuse included forcibly kissing, fondling, masturbating, and performing oral sex upon the victim.
The former student said Ryan would give him attention by playfully poking the student with his elbow, building a sense of “camaraderie.” he also stated that he feels more victims have been scared into silence.
Ryan was “quietly transferred” to a school in Chicago, IL in the late 70s, and then was transferred again to St. Mary’s in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Brother Ryan died in 2017 while living in the Bronx, NY.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New York, contact our office today. In October 2020, the Rockville Centre Diocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection. The Court will resolve all claims of sexual abuse in this process but strict filing deadlines will apply and no late claims will be considered, so contact us today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New York and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.