In a record-breaking lawsuit, the sexual abuse victim of a Catholic priest has been awarded $100 million in damages, with the money due from the priest alone and not his diocese, as reported by The Miami Herald.
In 1986 Rev. N.D. allegedly abused the victim, A.S., - a 14 year-old runaway at the time - by coercing him first with a friendship, then by offering him gifts and after that, drugs and alcohol.
By that time Rev. N.D., per A.S.'s testimony in court, began engaging the youth in sexual acts.
Allegedly N.D. has 20 other sexual abuse victims that have claimed that the priest used his position in the church to drug, and then rape, young boys - this case just happens to be the first one that has made it through to a trial.
There are allegedly well over a dozen cases, all involving N.D., that have been settled out of court for approximately $50,000 each.
Besides the A.S. case being the first to make it through to a jury, it is also notable for being the first not to name the archdiocese as a defendant.
A.S., now 40, told reporters, "This sends the message that sexual predators in our community won't be tolerated." A.S. also admitted to the press that he has suffered with depression since the incidents occurred. In 2010, after confiding the truth only to his mother, A.S. took the step to sue N.D.
Per court records, A.S. described one incident from 1986: N.D. took him to a motel on Biscayne Boulevard. Once inside the priest's hotel room, he saw the partially naked priest laying on a bed while kissing and fondling a boy. The only other thing of note by A.S. in the hotel room - was a video camera on a tripod allegedly filming the action on the bed.
A.S. left the hotel room feeling both startled and troubled by what he had witnessed.
A.S. offered, "That man for me is the devil. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. There isn't any amount of money that can make up for what I've been through."
One of A.S.'s attorneys, Jessica Arbour, said, "This was a chance for (A.S.) to be empowered and hold (N.D.) personally accountable for what he did." Arbour's firm has filed several other cases, where the Archdiocese of Miami is named for covering up N.D.'s abuse and allowing him a position with access to young boys.
The $100 million award is broken down as: $10 million for compensatory damages and $90 million for punitive damages. It is not yet specified how, and if, N.D. will be making the payment as he appears to have no assets.
N.D. is currently being held in a Broward County jail until his next case is heard.
David Clohessy, the national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said, "Even when they don't have a nickel, a verdict like this can be extraordinarily validating for the victim."
If you have fallen prey to a priest's sexual desires, you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. You shouldcontact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.