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Church’s legal defence ‘dismantled’ after sex abuse pay-off thrown out

01/10/2020 by Male Survivors Taranaki

Hundreds of sexual abuse victims who received meagre sums of money from the Catholic Church in exchange for their silence could now seek larger compensation payouts after a judge overturned one survivor’s settlement with the church.

Published on The Age Australia

That survivor, a former altar boy known as WCB, was paid $32,500 in 1996 by the church after he was repeatedly sexually abused by Warragul priest Daniel Hourigan.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the deed of release in a landmark ruling, removing the legal barriers for WCB to sue the Catholic Church for damages.

“This is a fresh chance not just for me, but for many abuse survivors including all the other Gippsland boys who were abused by Father Daniel Hourigan. I hope the ones who feel up to it step forward and hold the church to account.”

Read full article
Published October 1, 2020

Filed Under: News

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