Fort Worth diocese settles 2nd sex abuse case for $2.75 million

BY DARREN BARBEE

Knight Ridder Newspapers


FORT WORTH, Texas - (KRT) - The Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese has
agreed to a $2.75 million out-of-court settlement with a second Texas
man who said he was sexually abused by the Rev. Thomas Teczar.

The settlement follows a $1.4 million settlement with another Texas
man. Both men accused Teczar of groping and raping them in the early
1990s in Ranger, a small town 90 miles west of Fort Worth. Teczar
served in several parishes in the diocese, including Fort Worth,
Bedford and Ranger, from 1988 until 1993.
The diocese agreed to the settlement Tuesday at the advice of its
attorneys after "weighing the options and considering the uncertainty
of litigation," according to a statement released to the
Star-Telegram on Thursday.
The money was paid from insurance coverage and the diocese, according
to the statement. The man was identified as John Doe II in the suit.
He was 12 when the abuse began, according to court documents.

The lawsuit, filed in April 2003 against the dioceses of Fort Worth
and Worcester, Mass., alleged that Fort Worth Bishop Joseph Delaney
knew that Teczar posed a threat to children because of his "sexual
interest" in adolescents. Delaney could not be reached for further
comment.
According to the diocese statement, "At the time that Thomas Teczar
came to the diocese there were no allegations of sexual misconduct
against him. When he left the area in 1993 the diocese had no
knowledge of sexual misconduct on his part."
Daniel Shea of Houston represented the man who agreed to last month's
settlement. Shea's client was 15 when he was abused, according to the
lawsuit.
Shea said Thursday that the diocese's statement is "patently false."

"Delaney still tries to say that they had no idea what they were
getting into," Shea said. "Teczar even pledged all of his personal
assets to the diocese" in case it was sued. And they're saying `we
didn't know?'"
Teczar, reached Thursday at his home in Dudley, Mass., declined to
comment. He has previously said he did not abuse anyone. He has not
worked as a priest since leaving the Fort Worth diocese.

Teczar was ordained in 1967. Before coming to the Fort Worth area, he
worked as a priest in the Worcester Diocese, where he was forced out
after being accused of inappropriate behavior with a teenage boy,
court documents show.
In a court deposition, Delaney stated that he considered Teczar a
risk before he allowed the priest to serve the Fort Worth Diocese in
the summer of 1988. Teczar was rejected by two other dioceses before
Delaney allowed him to serve in Fort Worth, court documents show.

Later in the deposition, Delaney said that in a conversation with
Teczar the priest admitted "to being sexually attracted to
adolescents in every way." Delaney said he considered anyone ages 12
to 20 to be an adolescent.
He also said that Teczar received therapy in California that was
intense but "very successful."

In the deposition, Delaney also said that if he had "any fear that
that problem would ever arise again, I could not and would not accept
him at all for any length of time."

Teczar still faces one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child,
three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecency with a
child with sexual contact in Eastland County related to his time at
St. Rita's Catholic Church in Ranger.

In Thursday's statement, Delaney and Worcester Bishop Robert McManus
expressed regret "to the extent Father Thomas Teczar may have injured
anyone."
Delaney echoed previous statements on abuse, saying, "My heart goes
out to anyone who has suffered sexual abuse, but especially when this
has occurred at the hands of someone who has betrayed a sacred trust."

As recently as last year, the diocese sent representatives to speak
at the parishes in which Teczar served. They asked any possible
victims to come forward.