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Catholic Diocese Of Norwich Pays $1.1 Million Dollars In Priest Molestation Case

A Massachusetts woman known as “Jane Doe #2” has settled her lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Norwich and its former Bishop, Daniel J. Reilly, for $1.1 million the day before jury trial of the case was to start on Tuesday, March 24th after a three day marathon mediation session beginning on Wednesday, March 18 through Friday afternoon March 20 conducted by Superior Court Judge William Bright.

Jane Doe #2 was molested about 60 times from age 3 to 16 by Father Thomas Shea, a parish priest in the Diocese of Norwich by French kissing her, fondling her and touching her inappropriately. At least 15 young girls had been molested by Shea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Six other victims were prepared to testify that they had been molested by Shea and had complained to church officials but nothing was done about it. The Diocese paid $1.1 million to another victim, known as Jane Doe #1, in 2013. That settlement was also reached just as that trial was to begin in the same courtroom in Hartford Superior Court where Jane Doe #2 was to be tried this week.

Attorneys Kelly E. Reardon and Robert I. Reardon, Jr. of The Reardon Law Firm of New London successfully represented both Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2, as well as representing several other childhood molestation victims of priests in lawsuits settled with the Diocese of Norwich and Hartford.

According to trial counsel, Attorney Kelly Reardon, “My client has suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression since childhood. She has been living her nightmare for over forty years. While recent psychological counseling has helped her to begin the road to recovery, she has a long way to go. This compensation she is finally receiving after nearly three years of litigation givers her a sense of vindication and the ability to continue the healing process. Our firm was so pleased to assist her in bringing some closure in her life.”

The Reardon Law Firm retained as experts James Chu, MD, a nationally recognized Harvard Medical School psychiatrist with expertise in childhood molestation and PTSD, Dr. David Johnson, a Yale psychologist, Dr. Gretchen Tietjen, Chair of the Neurology Department at the University of Toledo Medical Center who has published on the relationship between childhood molestations, PTSD and migraine headaches and Dr. Edward Boyko, a faculty member at the University of Washington Medical Center who has conducted a national study on the relationship between PTSD and exacerbation of diabetes. “With this team of experts, the evidence became overwhelming that Jane Doe #2 has many mental and physical impairments as a result of what she went through during years of molestations by Shea” stated Attorney Reardon. “This case demonstrates that childhood molestation can not only lead to PTSD but also to many serious physical manifestations of that mental illness.”

The Diocese of Norwich and Bishop Daniel Reilly were represented in both the Jane Doe #1 and the Jane Doe #2 cases by Attorney Gary Kaisen of Milano and Wanat in Branford and Attorney Wesley Horton of the Hartford firm of Horton, Knox and Shields.