Clergy Sexual Abuse Litigation : : Survivors Seeking Justice / / Jennifer M. Balboni.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Lynne Rienner Press Complete eBook-Package 2013-2000
• VerfasserIn: Balboni, Jennifer M.,
• Place / Publishing House: Boulder : : Lynne Rienner Publishers, , [2022]; ©2011
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (180 p.)

Why did victims of Catholic clergy sexual abuse wait so long to come forward, and what did their recourse to the courts finally achieve? Jennifer Balboni explores the experiences of clergy sex abuse survivors who sought justice through the court system, highlighting the promise and shortfalls of civil litigation in providing justice. Balboni draws on cases across the country such as the landmark 2002 lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Church to show how legal procedures that focused on financial settlements overlooked the survivors' overarching desire to see the Church publicly acknowledge its wrongdoing. Her analysis underscores the gap between public and legal perceptions of justice and gives fresh insight into the complex ways that civil litigation can transform the lives of crime victims.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Clergy Sexual Abuse: Historical and Theoretical Context -- 3 Introducing the Survivors -- 4 The Road to Litigation -- 5 Establishing Truth -- 6 Anger, Disillusionment, and Hope -- 7 The Attorney-Client Relationship -- 8 The End Game: The Good, The Bad, and the Really Ugly -- 9 Conclusions -- Appendix A Methodology -- Appendix B Interview Protocol -- References -- Index -- About the Book