Wall Street Journal [...] That a great many of the accusations against the priests were amply
documented, that they involved the crimes of true predators all too
often hidden or ignored, no one can doubt.
Neither should anyone doubt the ripe
opportunities there were for fraudulent abuse claims filed in the hope
of a large payoff. Busy civil attorneys—working on behalf of clients
suddenly alive to the possibilities of a molestation claim, or open to
suggestions that they remembered having been molested—could and did reap
handsome rewards for themselves and their clients. The Diocese of
Manchester, where Father MacRae had served, had by 2004 paid out
$22,210,400 in settlements to those who had accused its priests of
abuse.
The paydays did not come without
effort. Thomas Grover—a man with a long record of violence, theft and
drug offenses on whose claims the state built its case against Father
MacRae—would receive direction for his testimony at the criminal trial. A
conviction at the priest's criminal trial would be a crucial
determinant of success—that is, of the potential for reward—in Mr.
Grover's planned civil suit. [....]
A New Hampshire superior court will shortly deliver its decision on a
habeas corpus petition seeking Father MacRae's immediate release on
grounds of newly discovered evidence. The petition was submitted by
Robert Rosenthal, an appellate attorney with long experience in cases of
this kind. In the event that the petition is rejected, Father MacRae's
attorneys say they will appeal.
Those aware of the facts of this case
find it hard to imagine that any court today would ignore the perversion
of justice it represents. Some who had been witnesses or otherwise
involved still maintain vivid memories of the process.
Debra Collett, the former clinical director at Derby
Lodge, a rehabilitation center that Mr. Grover had attended in 1987,
said in a signed statement for Father MacRae's current legal team that
she had been subject to "coercion and intimidation, veiled and more
forward threats" during the police investigation because "they could not
get me to say what they wanted to hear." Namely, that Mr. Grover had
complained to her of molestation by Father MacRae. He had not—though he
had accused many others, as she would point out. Thomas Grover, she
said, had claimed to have been molested by so many people that the staff
wondered whether "he was going for some sexual abuse victim world
record." [...]
This does sound like a case of prosecutorial misconduct. Sadly there have been too many of those. But also, I am not aware yet of one case of an ultra orthodox jew convicted unjustifiably on testimony from an orthodox victim. however in Brooklyn, the man who helped bring forward witnesses against abusers has been in limbo of indictment for extortion for about two years. I am referring to Samuel Kellner. We are dealing with a corrupt DA beholden to haredi askanim since the winner of the primary wins the election in democratic brooklyn and haredim can deliver a large block of votes. Some of the other worst cases of misconduct (where there were no grubbing liability lawyers involved)were cases where chasidim were murdered and the DA framed innocent men as the murders to placate the community. David Ranta was just released from jail, exonerated after serving 23 years for the murder of Chatzkel Werzberger, the shammas of the Satmar Rebbe. Jabar Collins was exonerated after serving 18 years for the murder of Rabbi Pollock, as Satmar Hasid in Williamsburg. I know people in touch with Mr. Collins, who is a mensch and does not blame the Hasidic community but the DA, the extremely corrupt Charles J Hynes.
ReplyDelete