Fr. Edward O. Paquette, Jr. is another predator priest from Burlington Catholic Diocese who might get the title of being the worst abuser thus far. He’s been sued more than any Vermont abuser. For example:
- Among countless others, he’s accused of abusing a hospitalized teenage quadriplegic.
- He allegedly assaulted two other children in another hospital.
- He reportedly molested one child at least 50 times.
- He’s been called Vermont’s most prolific predator priest.
And as best we at Horowitz Law can tell, he’s still alive, though his whereabouts seem to be unknown. But he didn’t start off in Vermont. Originally, Fr. Paquette was ordained for the Fall River Massachusetts Diocese. But like so many predator priests, multiple bishops passed Fr. Paquette around from place to place, including Indiana (the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese), eventually making the ‘credibly accused’ abusers list in three dioceses. He ended up living in Westfield, Massachusetts, in the Springfield Diocese. Fr. Paquette’s crimes have rightfully generated more than a dozen civil lawsuits, ranging roughly from 2006 to 2019.
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- In 2006, the first suit in Vermont settled for $965,000 in 2006.
- In 2007, he was sued again.
- In 2008, a jury awarded $8.7 million to one of his victims, another jury awarded $3.6 million to another victim, and a third case ended in a mistrial.
- In 2009, church officials finally got around to defrocking Fr. Paquette.
- In 2009, jurors in a fourth trial gave $2.2 million to another victim.
- In 2010, four more lawsuits against Fr. Paquette were filed.
- In 2013, 11 abuse cases against him were settled.
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Remember: Most abuse victims never disclose. Most who do disclose are unable to sue. And many who can sue don’t sue. So, the real number of children who were sexually violated by Fr. Paquette is very likely more than 100. Exactly when did his carnage begin? No one really knows, of course, but letters between diocesan officials released in 2006 show that Fr. Paquette may have started molesting boys as early as 1955 in Mansfield and New Bedford, MA.
Why such sizable jury awards to some of Fr. Paquette’s victims?
In part because of those very early notices or warnings or ‘red flags’ about Fr. Paquette’s behavior that Vermont Catholic officials buried or ignored. Jurors are repulsed, as they should be, by the sexual violation of kids. But often, they’re beyond repulsed – indeed, sometimes outraged – when those sexual violations could clearly have been prevented if only those in authority had acted with decency. It’s worth noting that early on, years before Boston Globe investigative reporters began peeling back the layers of secrecy and deceit around child sexual abuse in the church, Vermont Catholic officials had a very strong sense of just how widespread and devastating these crimes are.
Why? Because of cases like these: In 1996, the Burlington diocese agreed to a settlement with Joseph Barquin. Barquin sued the diocese in 1995, claiming sexual and physical abuse by a nun at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington in 1951. In 1996, a Burlington bishop offered $5,000 to former residents of St. Joseph’s Orphanage who claimed they were abused as children by nuns and others. More than 60 agree to the offer in return for a promise not to sue.
In 1997, the Burlington Diocese settled a case brought by Janet Labelle Prince, who claimed as a young girl, she was raped by Fr. Benjamin Wysolmerski in the early 1960s and then raped again by him in the late 1970s when she was married. In 1999: The church agreed to settle 14 court cases brought by people who claim they were abused as children by nuns and others at St. Joseph’s Orphanage.
So if ever you hear someone express the slightest bit of sympathy for the current plight of the Vermont Catholic church, remind them that because of the courage of Vermont victims, the church hierarchy in Vermont had opportunities way back in the 1990s to address this crisis forthrightly. And obviously, they squandered those opportunities. Though the saga of Fr. Paquette is an undeniably grim one, let’s try to end on an ever-so-slightly less negative note or two here.
First, as part of the very first settlement involving Fr. Paquette, the victim insisted that he be allowed to publicly detail his abuser’s crimes against kids in Massachusetts, Indiana, and Vermont AND the diocese’s efforts to contain the allegations. Second, there is no doubt some Fr. Paquette victims remain emotionally shattered or isolated or shut down and are still unable to share their pain and begin recovering. But because of their fellow survivors who HAVE managed to find the strength and courage to expose this horrible predator – AND his church supervisors and church colleagues who ignored or hid his awful offenses – at least some of these Fr. Paquette victims very likely feel at least a bit of comfort and validation. It helps to see one’s predators and enablers forced to endure sworn depositions, damaging discovery, and face tough questions in open court. It helps victims when the ‘bad guys’ are exposed in the media, held accountable, and experience consequences for their wrongdoing.
That’s no small matter. In fact, all of us – especially Vermonters – should feel grateful to every single victim, witness, or whistleblower who played a role, large or small, in bringing the corruption, complicity, and crimes of Vermont clerics into public view. Fr. Paquette was in Westfield, Whitinsville, Mansfield, and New Bedford in Massachusetts. In Indiana, he worked in Elkhart, Decatur, Michigan City, and South Bend. Fr. Paquette was assigned to Rutland, Montpelier, and Burlington in Vermont.
The attorneys at Horowitz Law have a long history of representing survivors of child sex abuse. If you or someone you know was abused by a priest in the Diocese of Burlington, please contact Horowitz Law today for a free consultation. We can help you understand your legal options and fight for the justice you deserve. The Burlington Diocese has filed for federal bankruptcy protection, and strict deadlines will soon be set by the bankruptcy court. Please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or e-mail sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation to discuss your options today.