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Civil claim against Pell, Melbourne Archdiocese to continue
In the wake of the passing of Cardinal George Pell, a national plaintiff firm has confirmed it will still progress with a civil claim on behalf of the father of a former altar boy who alleged he was sexually abused by the now-late, top-ranking Australian Catholic cleric.
Jerome Doraisamy
As reported globally this morning, Cardinal George Pell has passed away. The Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, said in a statement that Pell died from heart complications following hip surgery.
The late cardinal had always vigorously denied the offences alleged against him.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott tweeted, earlier this morning (Wednesday, 11 January 2023), that Cardinal Pell’s “incarceration on charges that the High Court ultimately scathingly dismissed was a modern form of crucifixion; reputationally at least a kind of living death”.
At the time of the quashing of the conviction, Lawyers Weekly explored the legal implications of the decision to overturn the conviction and what impact it might have on future cases. A contempt case followed against various media outlets, which were accused of breaching suppression orders that prevented them from publishing Cardinal George Pell’s name in relation to the now-overturned charges.
In a statement issued this morning, Shine Lawyers chief legal officer Lisa Flynn noted that the national plaintiff firm is progressing with a civil claim, launched in July of last year, on behalf of the father of a former altar boy who alleged he was sexually abused by Cardinal Pell.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, she added, is also listed as a defendant in this matter.
“The claim will continue against the church and whatever estate Pell has left behind,” she said.
“A civil trial likely would have provided the opportunity to cross-examine Pell and truly test his defence against these allegations.”
“There is still a great deal of evidence for this claim to rely on, and the court will be asked in due course to make its ruling on that evidence,” Ms Flynn posited.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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