The Fort Worth Catholic Diocese settled a lawsuit for an undisclosed
amount Tuesday with a former Nolan Catholic High School student who said
he was sexually abused by a priest.The lawsuit states that Rev. William Paiz abused John Doe No. 109 between 1982 and 1987 starting when the boy was 15. Doe, now in his 40s, filed suit in January, saying he was sexually assaulted while at All Saints Catholic Church, St. George Catholic Church and at other locations.
During that period, Paiz was assigned to All Saints and St. George's Catholic Churches in Fort Worth and taught religion at Nolan Catholic High School, according to the Fort Worth diocese.
The settlement agreement includes provisions that Paiz not work in a position that puts him in contact with any children, juveniles or young adults and not be able to present himself as a priest, said Tahira Merritt, John Doe 109's attorney.
The agreement also requires the Fort Worth diocese to publicly acknowledge that her client's allegations against Paiz concerning the abuse are credible, Merritt said. Paiz must also be supervised by officials with the Claretian Order, where he is still a priest, Merritt said.
Calls made to the Claretian Order and their attorneys to confirm Paiz's status with the order were not immediately returned.
"I think that there are other victims of Paiz," Merritt said. "As far as I know, none of those boys have come forward. If there is one victim, historically, there are others. He [Paiz] was the religion teacher in a high school and there were many opportunities to prey on boys."
The victim initially reported his abuse to church officials in April 2010, Merritt said. After almost two years of not getting answers regarding the status of their investigation, most importantly information on Paiz's current location or his current clerical status, her client sought legal representation and filed a lawsuit, Merritt said.
Pat Svacina, Fort Worth diocese spokesman, said interchanges between someone who claims abuse against a priest are confidential, and that is something of value. Those claiming abuse can seek several avenues within the church to address their grievances, Svacina said.
"They can take it to the bishop or a supervisor," Svacina said. "The bishop is always aware of these cases."
Historically, the church has been slow to react when church officials have been charged with abuse, said David Clohessy, director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
"For years now, most bishops have been quietly but consistently backsliding in treating victims with compassion and being open in these cases," he said. "Policies, panels, procedures and protocols have been developed and it looks great on paper. But the sad truth is that behind closed doors, in diocese after diocese, there's been very little change. The fundamental reason is because the church is a monarchy. Every bishop is the lord of their own kingdom and they answer to no one."