Suit Names Weston Benedictine Priory and the Jesuits as Defendants
Complaint Alleges Sexual Abuse by Fr. James Talbot, S.J., a Notorious Predator Featured in "Spotlight" Movie
Horowitz Law has filed a child sexual abuse and coverup lawsuit in Vermont against the Weston Priory and Northeast Province of Jesuits. The lawsuit relates to the sexual abuse of a teenage boy while he was staying at the Weston Priory, located in Vermont. The property is owned and operated by the Benedictine Order.
According to the Complaint, filed in Windsor County Superior Court, a 15 year old boy was sexually abused by Fr. James Talbot, a notorious Jesuit priest, in approximately 1970 while Talbot was supposed to be providing the child with religious direction and counsel.
You might recognize James Talbot's name from the Oscar-winning movie, "Spotlight." Talbot was released from a Maine prison last month following his 2018 conviction for sexually abusing a young boy there. In, 2005, he was also convicted of sexually abusing two boys at Boston College High School in the late 1970s. According to media reports, Talbot has admitted to molesting around at least 90 boys during his career as a priest.
Talbot died on February 28, 2025. He was last known to be residing at the Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, Missouri, where he previously stayed between his Massachusetts and Maine prison sentences. He was a registered sex offender in Maine: https://apps.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/sor/step3.pl?id=10565
Vianney Renewal Center is affiliated with the Servants of the Paraclete religious order, which has become synonymous with the treatment of accused pedophile priests and has itself been named as a defendant in countless lawsuits following the release of priests who eventually re-offended after "treatment" for pedophilia.
Jessica Arbour, an attorney at Horowitz Law, said, "The filing of this lawsuit is a very important step in Michael's long journey toward healing. In 2019, Vermont lawmakers recognized what Michael has long known, which is that the effects of sexual abuse by a revered and trusted Catholic priest have no time limitations. He is grateful for the chance to call those who wronged him to account now. It is never too late for justice and accountability when the victims of these heinous actions will bare the scars forever."
Veitch v. Benedictine Foundation of the State of Vermont, Inc. d/b/a Weston Priory, et al. (case no. 21-CV-00855) is now pending in Windsor County.
The Plaintiff, Michael Veitch, is now 66. He resides in New York State.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in Vermont. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by someone working for the Diocese of Burlington, or anywhere else in Vermont, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by clergy in Vermont now have legal options to seek accountability and justice. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Vermont and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.