Father Renald HalleeOrdained: 1970
Left Priesthood: 1977
Laicized: 2009
Assigned as follows:
- 1970: St. Mary (Augusta, ME)
- 1970-1973: St. John (Bangor, ME)
- 1973-1977: St Louis (Fort Kent, ME)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Renald Hallee:
In February 2022, the Diocese of Portland announced that allegations of sexual abuse against Fr. Renald Hallee are credible. According to reports, Fr. Hallee allegedly abused a high school student in the early 1970s.
The diocesean review board deemed the allegations credible and advised that the diocese declare the allegations substantiated. Additional details about the exact time and location of the abuse remain publically unknown.
Previous Complaint: Complaint Filed More than Ten Years Before February 2022 Announcement
The diocese's February announcement was the second account of abuse against Fr. Renald Hallee. A decade earlier, a woman in Portland filed a lawsuit against the priest, stating that Fr. Hallee sexually abused her in the 1970s while he was a priest at St. John's Parish in Bangor. According to the 2010 complaint, the abuse occurred between 1970-1973 when the plaintiff was around eight years old.
The court later granted summary judgment in favor of Fr. Hallee and the diocese due to the statute of limitations. However, the Diocese of Portland later settled with the victim.
The victim also appealed the decision regarding Fr. Hallee, arguing the statute of limitations should have been on hold from the time Halle left Maine until she learned of his whereabouts in 2009. In 2012, the Supreme Court of Maine vacated the judgment and returned the case to a lower court.
In 2013, the Maine Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling and concluded that the statute of limitations barred the victim from suing Fr. Halle for alleged sexual abuse.
Fr. Renald Hallee's Career and Whereabouts
Ordained in 1970, Fr. Renald Hallee served multiple parishes in the Diocese of Portland before he left the priesthood in 1977 and moved to Lexington, Massachusetts. In Lexington, Fr. Hallee worked in the computer lab of a high school until his retirement in 2007.
In 2010, reports say Fr. Hallee was allowed to chaperone a group of teens from St. Theresa de Lisieux in Billerica, MA on a church field trip after telling the pastor about the lawsuit against him.
In 2014, news reports claim Fr. Halle moved to the Boston area as of 2012. However, his current whereabouts are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Portland in Maine. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Maine, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Portland now have legal options, but filing deadlines may apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Maine and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.