The Diocese of Charlotte consists of 92 parishes and missions with 140 priests. This Diocese consists of 46 counties throughout western North Carolina, which are further divided into ten vicariates. Unfortunately, like many of the other dioceses throughout the United States and the world, the Diocese of Charlotte has been home to many instances of child sexual abuse.
In December 2019, the Diocese of Charlotte published a list of 14 credibly accused clergy members. These 14 named individuals are alleged child sexual abusers since the Diocese was established in 1972. The list includes the following clergy members:
- Donald Philip Baker
- Charles Jeffries “Jeff” Burton
- Eugene D. Corbesero
- Aloysius Joseph D’Silva
- Richard B. Farwell
- P. Patrick Gavigan
- Adelbert “Del” Homes
- Donald J. Joyce
- Michael Joseph Kelleher
- Peter Tan Van Le
- Damion Jacques Lynch
- Justin Paul Pechulis
- Donald Francis Scales
- Robert Yurgel
In March 2020, the Diocese of Charlotte added additional names to the list, dividing the list into three categories:
1) credible accusations of abuse involving minors that occurred within the Diocese of Charlotte;
2) credible accusations of abuse involving minors where the abuse happened at the formerly known Raleigh Diocese but is now considered the Charlotte Diocese; and
3) credible allegations of individuals “accused elsewhere,” which means victims credibly accused individuals; however, there were no documented allegations of the abuse while they were at the Diocese of Charlotte.
The first of the two additional names added in March 2020 was Harold Johnson. Johnson was originally in Boston but worked at St. Patrick’s in Charlotte between February 1957 to October 1959. During this time, the entire state of North Carolina was under the Raleigh Diocese jurisdiction.
In April 2020, two men sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, claiming that priests who worked at the Diocese sexually abused them as minors while they were members of the Diocese. The victims filed the lawsuit due to the change in North Carolina law that allows victims of child sexual abuse to file a lawsuit until they are 28 years old. However, the Diocese of Charlotte released a statement that they disagree that they are liable to the plaintiffs.
More recently, in July 2021, a man filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Charlotte after his minister sexually abused him for years as a minor. Like many other lawsuits filed against the Diocese, the case alleges that the church moved ministers to different churches rather than reporting them to the police. His abuser, Al Behm, was also credibly accused in Kentucky, then moved to Western Carolina University.
Child sexual abuse is a horrifying reality that has been widespread throughout the dioceses in the United States and the world. If someone sexually abused you within the Diocese of Charlotte, you do not have to go through the complex legal processes of seeking justice alone. Contact our legal team at Herman Law today to understand your legal rights and how we can help you.