New Orleans attorney fined $400,000 after exposing abusive priest says it was ‘worth it’
Summary
The Archdiocese of New Orleans added the late priest Paul Hart to its list of clergy facing credible abuse claims on November 6, after years of dispute over his sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl in the early 1990s. Attorney Richard Trahant, who helped bring Hart’s history to light and was fined more than $400,000 in connection with the case, said the outcome was worth the cost.Key Facts
- The archdiocese added Hart to a list of more than 100 priests and deacons facing credible abuse claims.
- Hart admitted during a church investigation that he had sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl he met through his ministry.
- The woman reported Hart to the church in 2012.
- An advisory board recommended removing Hart from public ministry, but then-Archbishop Gregory Aymond allowed him to continue.
- Aymond appointed Hart as chaplain at Brother Martin High School in 2017.
- Trahant alerted the school’s principal to a credible allegation involving a minor in Hart’s past.
- Hart retired in January 2022 after the school asked Aymond to remove him from campus; he died nine months later.
- The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020 amid fallout from the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse scandal.
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