Diocese of Brooklyn Accused Priests

A church should be considered one of the safest places to be, especially for children. Unfortunately, many children have suffered sexual abuse by leaders of many Roman Catholic Churches throughout the world. Over the past couple of decades, more and more sex abuse victims of the Roman Catholic Church have come forward in states throughout the US and around the globe. For example, the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York faced almost 600 lawsuits alleging child sex abuse. That number includes lawsuits filed from the enactment of the Child Victims Act in 2019 through the end of 2020.

The Child Victims Act extended the statute of limitations for adults who were victims of child sex abuse to initiate claims against their abusers and the institutions that covered up the abuse. Further, the Child Victims Act created a lookback window enabling all child sex abuse survivors to come forward to file lawsuits, no matter how long ago the abuse happened or the age of the victim. However, this lookback window will expire on August 14, 2021, so if you believe you might have a claim, it’s crucial to contact a sex abuse lawyer to evaluate your case and file before the deadline arrives.

Included as a defendant in those lawsuits is someone the New York Times referred to as one of the most “prolific priest pedophiles on the Eastern Seaboard.” Former Priest Roman Ferraro had 18 lawsuits filed against him due to incidents of child sex abuse perpetrated by him from 1958-1991.

Arrowood Indemnity Company, the insurance company to the Diocese of Brooklyn, sued the diocese, asserting that it knew of Ferraro’s “sexual proclivities” as far back as the 1950s, before his ordainment as a priest. The lawsuit alleges that the insurance company shouldn’t have to defend or indemnify on behalf of the diocese because of the prior knowledge held by the diocese concerning Ferraro’s past. This lawsuit exposes the culture of the Diocese of Brooklyn that exists to allow such systemic abuse to occur.

The bishop of Brooklyn himself, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, has also been the focus of sex abuse allegations. At least two men have accused the bishop of sexually abusing them in the 1970s while he was then a parish priest in New Jersey. The second of the two accusers stated that DiMarzio “repeatedly sexually abused” him at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City. The first of DiMarzio’s accusers stated that he was abused repeatedly, not only by DiMarzio but also by the late Rev. Albert Mark. This abuse allegedly occurred at St. Nicholas Church and St. Nicholas School.

Incredibly, the Diocese of Brooklyn has been one of the few dioceses in New York to avoid filing for bankruptcy. By late 2019, after the Child Victims Act took effect and lawsuits began piling up, it seemed like bankruptcy may be inevitable. In August of that year, Bishop DiMarzio said, “To date, the [church] has settled claims with nearly 500 victims of the Diocese of Brooklyn.” The bishop also said, “The diocese has paid settlements by selling and mortgaging properties. None of the money used has come from donations. While no amount of money could ever heal the scars of abuse, the compensation program has been one way for us to show a concrete expression of our contrition and our desire to make amends.”

The Diocese of Brooklyn website has a Protecting Our Children page with links to resources, policy, and even a list of accused clergy. There is also a link to Report Sexual Abuse, which includes the following phone number to make a report: (888) 634-4499.

No matter how long ago the incident happened, if you or someone you know was the victim of child sex abuse at the hands of the Diocese of Brooklyn clergy, do not hesitate to contact Herman Law for a free consultation.