Three civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of children by a former Memphis priest have been settled and an investigation to determine his future in parish ministry is ongoing.The Catholic Diocese of Memphis reached financial settlements in three cases against the Rev. Joseph Nguyen last week.
The three lawsuits, each filed in 2006 by Vietnamese-American women listed as Jane Does, claimed multiple counts of sexual abuse by Nguyen from 1994 to 1999. The women were minors at the time of the alleged abuse.
Adam Horowitz, with the Miami-based law firm Herman & Mermelstein that represented the women, said on Sunday each complaint was settled for amounts more than $100,000.
"The settlements validated the fact that Father Nguyen engaged in heinous acts and caused grave harm to our clients," he said.
"The motivation to settle by our clients came at great human cost and they all realize this is not the end of the journey. There is a long road toward healing that they each face."
The agreement notes that the "settlement is neither an admission of liability or an admission of the validity of any claims made against the Diocese, but is, instead, a compromise of disputed claims," according to a statement from the diocese.
"While this brings closure to the civil suits, the Diocese continues its investigation into the actions of Nguyen to determine whether or not he is suitable for ministry in the Church," the diocese said in its statement.
Before the first suit, Nguyen served as chaplain at St. Peter Villa. He had also served at several local parishes, including Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Germantown, St. Ann in Bartlett and St. Paul the Apostle in Memphis, and managed ministries within the Vietnamese Catholic community.
Nguyen was removed from duties pending an investigation by the diocesan review board.
He is not involved in any ministries and has no contact with children or parishioners while the investigation continues.
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