Suit involves teacher facing sex charges

Complaint says archdiocese failed to report abuse

By Gregory A. Hall

April 26, 2002 - A Louisville parochial school teacher, who faces criminal charges of sexually abusing two brothers during the 1970s, is at the heard of a civil suit filed by on e of the alleged victims against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville.

Robert M. Davis is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the archdiocese, which the complaint says employed the teacher, Joseph B. Greene III.

Greene, 56, is charged with 14 counts of sodomy and four counts of sexual abuse in the criminal case. He is not named as the defendant in the civil case because the statue of limitations to sue him has expired, said Davis' attorney, William McMurry.

During the 1970s, when Greene taught at Ascension School, the archdiocese "knew or had reasonable cause to believe the children at Ascension were sexually abused by Green," according to the complaint.

"During the time that (Davis) was in the sixth grade at Ascension, Greene forcibly sexually molested, abused, battered and assaulted" him the complaint says.

Davis "suffered serious mental distress, physical and mental pain and suffering from his childhood to the present and will continue to for the rest of his life," the complaint said.

Green is accused in the criminal case of abusing Davis between 1974 and 1978. While Kentucky's statute of limitations generally requires lawsuits to be filed within a year of an alleged offense, Davis' suit contents that the archdiocese had a legal duty to report the conduct to law enforcement and did not, which constitutes concealment and should allow the case to be filed now.

Cecelia price, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said that Green is suspended without pay from Our Lady of Lourdes School, where he had been teaching. The archdiocese doesn't comment on pending litigation, she said.

Price said, however, that the archdiocese wasn't aware of the allegations against Green until recently.

McMurry said in an interview yesterday that he and Davis believe that archdiocesan officials and employees knew of the alleged incidents involving Green, but did nothing. If Greene had been properly supervised, school officials would have interceded, McMurry said.

Police arrested Greene, who had taught in Catholic schools for almost 30 years, on April 12 at his home after the criminal allegations were made.