4 Penobscot Nation members sue Maine diocese for childhood sexual abuse on reservation
Four members of the Penobscot Nation on Thursday filed complaints against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland alleging they were abused by three priests on their reservation in Maine decades ago.
The men say the alleged abuse took place in the 1970s and 1980s when they were altar boys and employees at St. Ann Church on the Indian Island reservation, just north of Bangor.
According to the lawsuits, the oldest abuse happened in 1972, while the most recent case took place in 1987. It happened when the alleged victims were between the ages of 7 and 16.
The lawsuits name three priests as the alleged abusers: the Rev. Marcel Robitaille, the Rev. David Paul Cote, and the Rev. Leo James Michaud, all of whom were stationed at St. Ann Church.
One of the victims, Dale Mitchell, alleges Robitaille sexually abused him several times when he was an altar boy. He was about 12 years old at the time.
Robitaille, who has since died, was punished by the Vatican in 2008 to a life of prayer and penance after he was accused of sexually abusing two brothers and a nephew for years, the local newspaper Sun Journal reported.
The two other priests are believed to be alive and living in Maine, Michael Bigos, an attorney representing the three men, told reporters at a news conference in Bangor Thursday morning.
His law firm, Berman & Simmons, is now representing 25 clients throughout the state, though their lawsuits are currently on hold. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is challenging the constitutionality of a 2021 law that removed the statute of limitations for claims of child sexual abuse — and allowed alleged victims of older cases to file lawsuits.
The state removed its statute of limitations for cases of sexual abuse cases in 2000. However, since the law wasn’t retroactive, victims of older crimes weren’t allowed to come forward with lawsuits.
That changed in the summer of 2021 when a new law made it possible for alleged victims to sue for abuse claims that had expired under the status quo.
The diocese fought back, arguing the law violates both the state and the U.S. constitutions, saying the “law is clear that legislation imposing or creating liability may not do so retroactively.”
With News Wire Services
