Seattle man sues Spokane’s Gonzaga Prep over abuse
Jun 15, 2012, 6:07 AM | Updated: 7:07 am
A Seattle man has filed a civil lawsuit against Spokane’s Gonzaga Preparatory School, saying the Jesuit-run school failed to protect him from a priest who was a serial sex predator.
The victim, identified in court papers as P.V., filed his case Thursday in Spokane County Superior Court. The lawsuit also names the Jesuits of the Missouri Province, the order that employed the priest, as a defendant.
The victim’s attorney, Tim Kosnoff, says the behavior by the Missouri Province was particularly egregious and represented a grave failure to protect children.
“Father Campbell was given essentially free rein to work at Gonzaga Prep and recruit students for a summer program and through that contact groomed and eventually sexually abused my client,” says Attorney Dan Fasy. “Kids would be able to be brought back to dorm rooms in Spokane where they were given alcohol by Father Campbell.”
“I think that they should have known that allowing a priest to have this kind of contact with students was not appropriate and put children in harm’s way,” says Fasy.
The Missouri Province has already paid more than $575,000 in settlements to at least 13 of Father Jack Campbell’s abuse victims who have come forward.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
