According to a news release by the Hartford Courant Click Here a lawsuit has been filed by Jose Raul Gonzalez of Mexico in Connecticut, claiming that “he was molested for years by his father Fr Marcial Maciel, the priest-founder of the Legionaries of Christ”. The lawsuit initiated by one of the men claiming to be Fr. Maciel’s son claims that the Legionaries of Christ were negligent in failing to protect him from a known pedophile.
A Hartford Superior Court ruling has struck down parts of the lawsuit but allowed others alleging negligent supervision.
In March, 2010 Time World had reported the details of Jose Raul Gonzalez’s claims that his father had abused him starting when he was only seven years old and that the abuse had gotten worse over a period of years. Click Here to see Time World article
In a later report by Michael Melia of the Associated Press the attorney for the plaintiff said that the Judge’s ruling to allow the suit to proceed based on negligence claims is important because it “opens the floodgates” to allow Gonzalez’s side to press for more evidence. The writer said that this will enable the attorneys for the plaintiff to obtain access to documents of the Legionaries of Christ and to use international treaties to subpoena people, including very high-ranking officials within the Vatican.