Brother Samuel Martinez
Archdiocese of New Orleans
Ordained: N/A
Died: 2016
Assigned as follows:
- 1976-1985 Cathedral High School (El Paso, TX)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Brother Samuel Martinez:
Brother Samuel Martinez, a member of the Brothers of Christian Schools order, held positions as teacher, principal, care-giver and Campus Minister in De La Salle, New Orleans, LA, San Antonio and El Paso, TX and did missionary work in the Phillippine Islands.
According to media reports, in March 2003, he was named in a lawsuit filed by a man alleging that he sexually abused him as a sophomore at Cathedral High, a top private Catholic high school for boys in El Paso, between 1983 and 1985. Brother Martinez left the school in 1985.
The man alleged that “The sexual abuse inflicted on him by Brother Sam Martinez was extensive, disturbing, and was associated with the use of pornographic videos which depicted sexual abuse of young girls by older men including the depiction of physically painful episodes of the abuse of minor girls.”
The suit was settled in July 2004. At the time, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, District of New Orleans-Santa Fe was under contract to run the school. At least 10 more men alleged sexaul abuse as boys at Cathedral High when Brother Martinez was principal from 1976 to 1985. One suit alleged that “he touched the boy inappropriately” in New Orleans in 1971, before he was transferred to El Paso.
“Instead of taking action then, Martinez was given a 100-day vacation at a retreat center in Santa Fe and then transferred to Cathedral High,” the lawyer said.
At least four lawsuits were settled with alleged victims, and more than $3.6 million was paid out. The most recent settlement was in 2012.
In September 2014, Brother Martinez was living in a Lafayette retirement home and permitted under safety plan to travel to Holy Family Community on the campus of John Paul The Great Academy on weekends for religious exercises. After media coverage, however, those visits stopped. He died in 2016. In January 2019, his name appeared publicly on the Diocese of El Paso’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for federal bankruptcy protection in April 2020. Our lawyers are now offering free legal consultations to discuss your legal options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the New Orleans Archdiocese.
Very strict filing deadlines will soon be set by the Bankruptcy Court. Most victims of abuse will never be able to recover damages if they miss this deadline, so please contact us to discuss your case today. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com.