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A New London man has settled his lawsuit against the Society of St. Edmund (a Catholic Order headquartered in Vermont), the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich, its former Bishop, Daniel J. Reilly, and the Sacred Heart Church of Groton, Connecticut, for $900,000. The settlement occurred in early December, 2016 and was recently finalized.

The victim was molested in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Father Charles Many, an Edmundite Priest assigned to the Sacred Heart Church within the Diocese of Norwich by his Order, the Society of St. Edmund. Several other victims were identified, who were prepared to testify at trial. Charles Many was removed from parish service in 1986 and later left the priesthood after allegations of molestation surfaced against him in Vermont.

Attorney Kelly E. Reardon represented the victim in the case and successfully obtained the disclosure of documents from the Edmundite archives demonstrating that the officials from the Church had knowledge that then-Father Many was “receiving boys in his room” as early as 1976, two years before he was transferred to the parish in Groton. She has also successfully represented other victims of molestation by priests.

According to Attorney Reardon, “The settlement of this case will allow my client to begin the healing process of putting this nightmare behind him. I am pleased that our firm was able to give him a sense of vindication and to ensure that others who have been harmed will not be afraid to come forward.”