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Updated: 6:19 PM Oct 30, 2008
Pueblo Diocese Pays Out $4 Million
Twenty-three victims who say they were sexually abused by a former Catholic high school teacher, will now split a four million dollar settlement.
Posted: 4:33 PM Oct 30, 2008Reporter: Danielle Saar Email Address: dsaar@kktv.com |
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3 Comments 
Twenty-three victims who say they were sexually abused by a former Catholic high school teacher, will now split a four million dollar settlement.
That settlement was announced Thursday from one of the attorneys representing those 23 alleged victims.
The lawyer who was speaking on behalf of the 23 accusers says he has worked on many sexual abuse cases, but never had this many victims come forward from one alleged predator.
On the steps of the Pueblo County Courthouse, Adam Horowitz, attorney for the plaintiffs announced the 4-million dollar settlement of 23 lawsuits brought against the Diocese of Pueblo and the Marianist religious order.
Each of the lawsuits alleges sexual abuse by a former teacher at Roncalli Middle School, back when it was a high school.
The lawsuit claims Brother William Mueller abused his students in a sound proof area of the band room.
They allege he would use ether to knock out the students and then molest them.
The attorney says he's happy that his clients are finding closure, but is disturbed because he says church leaders knew Mueller was a sexual predator in St. Louis before teaching at Roncalli.
"In each of our lawsuits, we allege that the Diocese of Pueblo and the Marianist religious order were negligent in the supervision of their teacher, who they knew was sexually abusing students and failed to prevent it," says Horowitz.
Horowitz tells 11 News 16 of the 23 victims still live in Pueblo, and are getting counseling for what happened to them.
Mueller now lives in San Antonio, Texas, and denies any sexual misconduct.
Latest Comments
I am also greatly disturbed and concerned about the allegations that "the Marianists knew William Mueller was a sexual predator in St. Louis before they sent him to Pueblo." Such behaviour by any religious congregation, men or women, then or now, is horrific and unacceptable. One can only wonder what the leadership of the Marianists, the predecessors of Brother Stephen Glodek, could possibly have been thinking when criminal acts were being committed. And Mueller is still out there living in San Antonio when, but for the inadequcies of the law, he would have been in jail. Once more this case points out that sexual predators are given more protection by inadequate laws then are the victims. THIS HAS TO CHANGE. VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE BY ANYONE SHOULD BE GIVEN THEIR DAY IN A COURT OF LAW. REMOVE ALL CRIMINAL AND CIVIL STATUTES OF LIMITATION IN REGARD TO THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN. Bishops, for the love of God, do the moral and right thing by the victims of abuse.
Four million dollars for 23 survivors of this serial predator who rendered his victims unconscious, then molested them? Each one should receive $4,000,000.00!
actually it also happened right here too, people know it did and the previous bishop kept moving the same guilty priest around and around. I think that the poor victims should come and tell everyone and then the priest would get what he deserves. While this story happened in the late 80's and early 90's it still happened and thet could leak it to KKTV.Every time I see a story like this I think of the many poor children (altar boys etc.) the this man hurt I was not a victim but I know the truth. Matbe someone else also knows and will post it on here.
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