Betts Patterson Mines has defended scores of complaints claiming sexual abuse and impropriety against churches, religious orders, nursing homes and other institutions. These have ranged from allegations of abuse from the 1930s to claims of impropriety involving adults and church leaders. Due to our extensive involvement in these cases, we have deposed on numerous occasions the key experts retained by plaintiffs’ bar. We are familiar with the tactics and approaches of plaintiffs’ counsel in these cases and are well postured to aggressively defend the cases.
Representative Cases
- Defended a religious brotherhood in some 60 sexual abuse claims from 1939 through the 1970’s arising out an orphanage and a school. We successfully litigated to mitigate the claimed damages through extensive motion practice, intensive investigation efforts, and aggressive deposition practice, including defeating a punitive damages motion which would have had a dramatic impact on the damages exposure.
- Represented numerous other religious organizations in a variety of sexual abuse claims ranging from adults claiming undue influence of church leaders, to youth pastors becoming intimately involved with youth group members. These cases were resolved through mediation following extensive discovery and motion practice.
