Horowitz Law has filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami and the Congregacion de La Mision de San Vicente de Paul after a Catholic priest, Fr. Jean Claude Philippe sexually assaulted a 44-year old female parishioner in his living quarters at the church. Father Jean Claude Philippe was previously convicted by a Miami-Dade Jury on criminal charges of sexual battery. According to the lawsuit, Father Jean Claude Philippe, age 64, drugged the woman with a non-alcoholic tea and then committed the sexual battery in October 2018. Father Jean Claude Philippe admitted during the trial to inviting the woman to his residence and stripping down nearly naked while giving her a body massage with oil. According to the victim, she awoke in the priest’s bedroom and found him standing over her in his underwear with no shirt. Upon awakening, she smelled what she believed to be semen.
The lawsuit comes one year after Father Jean Claude Philippe was found guilty of second-degree felony sexual battery.
According to the lawsuit, Plaintiff, identified as H.A., is a devout Catholic woman who knew Jean Claude Philippe from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Homestead, Florida. The woman testified that Fr. Philippe was close to her family, having officiated at her wedding and serving as the godfather to her and two of her children. At trial, Father Philippe admitted to inviting the woman to his home and stripping down nearly naked while giving her a body massage with oil, but he denied raping her. The Archdiocese of Miami is responsible for the supervision of Catholic priests assigned to its parishes, including Fr. Jean Philippe. At the time of the sexual battery, Fr. Philippe was working as a priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Homestead, Miami-Dade County, Florida. He also resided in a rectory at the same church. The lawsuit also alleges that Fr. Jean Claude Philippe was a priest of the Puerto Rico-based religious Order, Congregacion de La Mision de San Vicente de Paul. The lawsuit claims he was working in Florida with the permission of his Order.
Details About the Sexual Battery
On October 30, 2021, the victim took the stand and told jurors that three years prior, Fr. Jean Claude Philippe invited her to his residence at the church to receive gifts he got for her. In the kitchen, the victim says Fr. Philippe gave her some tea, and she passed out. She says she woke up two hours later naked in Fr. Philippe’s bed as the priest stood over her––wearing nothing but his underwear. The priest reportedly tried to embrace her, saying, “everything was okay” and “that nothing happened.” The victim claimed Fr. Philippe told her that he only massaged her. The victim subsequently went to a senior Sacred Heart clergyman to report the incident, and she says the clergyman told her “she was touched by God” before asking her to “keep her mouth shut.” They did nothing about it.
Plaintiff kept the sexual assault a secret for months until she went on a spiritual retreat where she disclosed the incident to another priest. The Miami/Dade Police subsequently started an investigation into the matter. Detectives wired the victim, and when she talked with Fr. Jean Claude Philippe about what happened, he said that he masturbated but “never penetrated her.” Ultimately, a Miami-Dade County jury convicted Father Philippe and found him guilty of second-degree felony sexual battery. In February 2022, Fr. Jean Philippe was sentenced to nearly eight years (94 months) in prison.
Attorney Adam Horowitz said, “Our client was betrayed by her trusted priest. Father Philippe should never have been allowed to gain access to our client. Now we are seeking to hold the Church responsible for its negligence in allowing this to happen.”
Horowitz Law is an experienced law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Miami in Florida. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Florida, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Florida and nationwide. We can help. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.