Posted on 03/14/2018 6:26:29 PM PDT by marshmallow
17-yr-old victim accuses bishop of engaging in cover-up
SAGINAW, Mich. (ChurchMilitant.com) - A sex abuse victim is filing a federal lawsuit accusing the Saginaw diocese and Bp. Joseph Cistone of a cover-up.
According to the complaint, Linden v. Saginaw, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, John Doe — the 17-year-old male victim — alleges that he was the victim not only of Fr. Robert DeLand (arrested for sexual assault) but also of Bp. Cistone and the Saginaw diocese, who knew about DeLand's criminal behavior but did little to address it.
The complaint claims Fr. DeLand engaged in grooming behavior, giving him cash and other gifts (including buying John Doe an expensive "vape" machine), and paying for counseling sessions for John Doe as he dealt with a friend's suicide. The priest allegedly called or texted the boy 17–20 times a day, and told him "he had set up a special bedroom" in his condominium that was offered to the boy for use.
The priest "requested that John Doe obtain drugs, i.e., ecstasy, so they could party together," the complaint states. It goes on to claim that at the condo, DeLand engaged in "groping and fondling his crotch and buttocks," after which John Doe fled.
The priest's actions led to his arrest for sexual assault the next day. DeLand is being charged with three felonies involving sexual misconduct and gross indecency.
In addition to DeLand, Bp. Cistone and the Saginaw diocese are named as defendants in the federal suit, and are accused of the following:
(Excerpt) Read more at churchmilitant.com ...
Business as usual.
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