QUIGLEY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors of Student Sexual Abuse at Quigley Catholic High School in Pennsylvania 

Quigley Catholic High School sexual abuse lawsuits involve students who were allegedly harmed by former headmaster Rev. John Hoehl. 

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that students at Quigley Catholic High School in Pennsylvania were allegedly sexually assaulted by clergy members.

This school is located in Baden, Pennsylvania, and has been the subject of extensive litigation regarding historical misconduct. Legal filings and grand jury reports indicate that students at the high school were allegedly subjected to sexual assault and physical abuse by a priest. These allegations include reports of abuse occurring on campus and at private residences, alongside claims that the diocese concealed the perpetrator’s history while moving him between different locations.

If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

History of Sex Abuse at Quigley Catholic High School in Pennsylvania 

Examples of alleged abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• In October 2018, a lawsuit was filed alleging that Rev. John Hoehl repeatedly sexually abused a student while serving as headmaster at Quigley Catholic High School beginning in 1982.

Between 1973 and 1978, Hoehl allegedly abused numerous children of various ages at the facility and his private residence. Allegations include sodomizing two boys in 1978 after they intervened when he was reportedly attempting to assault a girl in his office, performing oral sex on a 9-year-old boy in 1976, directing boys to sleep in long shirts without underwear so he could touch them during the night, and engaging in inappropriate physical contact—such as wrestling and showering with a 15-year-old boy at his private home at the facility in 1973.

The lawsuit alleged that the diocese concealed Hoehl’s history of abuse and moved him to different locations.

• In August 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report was released detailing widespread sexual abuse and cover-ups within the Catholic Church, including at Quigley Catholic High School. 

In 2007, the Pittsburgh diocese settled a lawsuit with 32 victims who alleged they were sexually abused by Rev. John Hoehl while attending the school in the 1970s. 

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a teacher or staff at a school.
• The abuse occurred at any school.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold schools accountable for their failures to stop abusive teachers and staff.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Pennsylvania Sexual Abuse  Attorneys

In Pennsylvania, the current statute of limitations for civil sex abuse claims is the age of adulthood plus 37 years, which means that survivors sexually abused as minors typically have until the age of 55 to file legal action, as long as they were born after November 26, 1989.

As in other states across the country, Pennsylvania’s current statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims has been criticized for barring numerous survivors from seeking justice and compensation for their damages and for failing to recognize accepted research about the considerable difficulties survivors face when processing their abuse and taking steps to come forward. Thanks to new efforts by advocates and lawmakers, however, there are now several pending measures before the Pennsylvania Legislature that seek to expand the rights of child sex abuse survivors.

These groundbreaking measures, which are expected to pass, will create new opportunities for survivors to step forward and obtain long-overdue justice. If passed, these measures would create a temporary two-year window for child sexual abuse survivors to file claims over abuse that occurred at any time in the past.

Determining the statute of limitations that applies to your sexual abuse case against a Pennsylvania school or Pennsylvania Catholic school can be challenging, which is why it is best to bring your matter to the attention of an experienced lawyer.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in schools. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.