Greek Orthodox church settles Dallas lawsuit alleging sex abuse by longtime priest

The Dallas Morning News - October 29, 2008

By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News

A lawsuit alleging child sex abuse by Nicholas Katinas, former pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in North Dallas, is headed for an out-of-court settlement.

“An agreement in principle has been reached,” said Tahira Khan Merritt, lawyer for five plaintiffs, including former altar boys, who claimed they were abused by Mr. Katinas in the early years of his long tenure at Holy Trinity. “It’s subject to court approval.” 

Ms. Merritt said she and lawyers for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America agreed to keep confidential the amount of the settlement. The settlement must be approved by State District Judge Karen Johnson. 

Mr. Katinas was pastor of Holy Trinity, a key institution of the Dallas Greek community, for 28 years. Soon after his retirement in 2006, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America officials suspended him from working as a priest, even on a fill-in basis. 

Later, a GOAA official came to Holy Trinity and acknowledged serious misconduct by Mr. Katinas.
He has since been defrocked and is reportedly living in Greece. 

“The victims feel like they’ve done as much as they can to bring public exposure to Katinas’ abuses,” Ms. Merritt said. “Without the lawsuit being filed and public exposure to these issues, in my opinion, Katinas would not have been defrocked.” 

Mr. Katinas and the GOAA still face a more recently filed lawsuit filed in Chicago, alleging abuse by him while he worked for a church in the suburbs there.

This article was found at:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/102908dnmetsettle.
15ddac6aa.html


RELATED ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG



Lawsuit alleges abuse at Greek Orthodox Church


'Cursed' woman claims exorcism sex abuse

'Cursed' woman claims exorcism sex abuse

Brisbane Times - September 12, 2008

SYDNEY - Two men have been charged with more than 220 sex offences at prayer sessions of a western Sydney church.
Police say one of the men had claimed he could speak to angels and remove curses.
The men, aged 61 and 38, are highly regarded members of the Greek Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox communities, police say.
They are alleged to have committed the offences over a period of four years on a young woman who believed she was cursed.
Police allege the older man claimed to be a spiritual mentor who was able to speak to angels to remove curses and banish evil spirits.
They allege the victim believed she and her family had been cursed by a member of the Greek community practising black magic and that they would all suffer terrible consequences including death and illness unless the curse was removed.
The woman told police she attended many prayer sessions at various hotels between 2001 and 2005 where she was blindfolded and sexually assaulted.
It's alleged she paid the men between $500 and $1,000 for each prayer session and by 2005 had paid at least $70,000.
Fairfield Local Area Commander, Acting Superintendent Gary Bailey, said police could not rule out the possibility there had been other victims.
"Two extremely courageous women have already come forward with information which has led to the arrests of these two men," Supt Bailey said.
"We will allege these women have been the cruel prey of callous individuals who used religious fear to manipulate and abuse them for their sexual gratification and financial gain.
"Sexual offences are heinous but an offender who hides behind the cloak of religious respectability is particularly vile," Supt Bailey said.
"Our investigations are far from over and we cannot rule out the possibility of other victims and I would urge any woman or person, particularly in the Greek Orthodox or Coptic community, with any information to come forward.
"These two women have already shown tremendous strength and courage to overcome the embarrassment and shame they feel to contact police.
"For that they deserve to be acknowledged."
A 61-year-old man and a 38-year-old man were arrested at their homes this morning.
They were expected to appear at Burwood Local Court later today charged with 151 and 79 sexual offences, respectively.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be given anonymously and will be treated confidentially, police say.
This article was found at:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/cursed-woman-claims-exorcism-sex-abuse/2008/09/12/1220857794561.html

Lawsuit alleges abuse at Greek Orthodox Church

Houston Chronicle - September 9, 2008

By SOPHIA TAREEN | Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO — A former altar boy in a Chicago-area Greek Orthodox Church says a priest sexually abused him in the 1970s and church officials allegedly failed to act on what they knew, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The lawsuit claims the former Rev. Nicholas E. Katinas abused a man identified as "John Doe 124" when the man was a teenager at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Olympia Fields.
Doe, now 46, of Streamwood was "raised in a deeply religious and strict Greek Orthodox family" and was an altar boy who played on the church's basketball team, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County and seeks unspecified damages. The abuse allegedly began when Doe was 15 years old.
"This man has suffered in silence and shame thinking he was all alone and couldn't do anything about this," said attorney Jeff Anderson, whose Minnesota-based firm has handled several priest abuse cases. "This has been an ultimate betrayal. He was taught to trust and revere this priest."
Officials also allegedly "observed at least four suspicious incidents suggestive of pedophilia involving Katinas and teenage boys" at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church but "failed to act on that knowledge," the lawsuit said.
Stavros Papagermanos, a spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which is named in the lawsuit, declined to comment Tuesday.
Katinas, 73, worked at the Olympia Fields church from 1969 to 1978, according to the lawsuit. He was then a priest for almost three decades at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas before being suspended in 2006.
Katinas did not immediately return telephone messages from The Associated Press Tuesday at Texas listings. He has not been criminally charged.
He was suspended from the Dallas church in July 2006 but church officials did not publicly offer a reason for his removal until the following year.
"After a thorough investigation of allegations of serious misconduct involving minors, Fr. Katinas was suspended in accordance with the Archdiocese's Statement of Policy Regarding Sexual Misconduct by Clergy," according to a February 2007 press release by the Archdiocese.
Katinas faces a similar lawsuit in Texas involving five alleged victims of sexual abuse. Tahira Merritt, an attorney for the plaintiffs in that case, said Katinas has fled the U.S. for Greece, which has stalled legal proceedings in Texas.
"The hierarchies are more concerned about secrecy and protection of their reputation than the children," Anderson said. "This happens in a hierarchical churches. They've kept secrets and protected offenders."
This article was found at:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5992929.html