By Mary Alice Murphy
A lawsuit that was issued in August 2020, alleging sexual abuse in the 1990s of a minor by a former Silver City priest has just been settled, according to the law firm of the plaintiff.
The background information, which this author has recently become aware of, addresses a lawsuit against St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and the Diocese of Las Cruces to benefit a plaintiff, who as an adult says that he, as a minor child, was sexually abused by a former priest at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Silver City.
As the following legal document tells in graphic terms the reason for the lawsuit filed in 2020, it also lays out the perhaps often complete trust that parishioners have in their priests.
Please see the links and PDF below for details.
Warning: Some have graphic language.
Bishop Accountability website, which evidently has the parish incorrect: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/accused/nichols-roderick-1989/
Link to Las Cruces Sun-News story in 2020:
Link to an article about Rehabilitation Center:
Link to article on Yahoo! News about a settlement:
https://news.yahoo.com/archdiocese-santa-fe-reaches-tentative-150500788.html
PDF of Legal document of complaint, which according to the law firm, is now settled, but under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA):