Roman Catholic Scandel Settlement Likely to Bring More Claims?

A $660 million settlement has been reached between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and over 500 alleged victims of sexual abuse. Is this the end or just the beginning? Is there evidence of actual abuse for each of these alleged victims or is this just an attempt to buy peace? Cardinal Roger Mahony is expected in court before Judge Haley Fromholtz to formalize the settlement. The A.P. has quoted Mahony as stating, "There really is no way to go back and give them that innocence that was taken from them. The one thing I wish I could give the victims ... I cannot," he said."Once again, I apologize to anyone who has been offended, who has been abused. It should not have happened and should not ever happen again."

Update 7-18-07 The Archdiocese of Miami has settled a claim by a former alter boy against Rev. Anthony Mercieca. This is the same priest who allegedly also had inappropriate contact with former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley. (The settlement was unrelated to Foley's case.) The alter boy's claim arose out of conduct in the 1970s when he was 13 years old.

As you may recall, Foley resigned from Congress after his computer messages to young male page became public knowledge. Foley's lawyer claimed that Foley was alcoholic, gay and had been molested as a boy. Mercieca admitted some inappropriate massaging of Foley but denied having sex with Foley. Mercieca is now retired. He was represented by Attorney Alfred Grech.
The lawsuit was settled for a confidential sum. The Plaintiff's attorney was Jeffrey Herman.

Confidential settlements have also been reached involving former South Florida priest, Neil Doherty. Doherty's attorney was David Bogenschutz. Under Florida law, there is no statute of limitations if the victim is under 12. Criminal charges are still pending against Doherty.

If you were a former alter boy and no member of the clergy ever made a pass at you, does that mean you were not attractive? Does being ignored as such constitute rejection which warrants compensation? If so, the line for compensation may get longer than communion on Christmas Eve...

What's D'Amata? Never Too Late to Start Over; Not Even at 70 Years Old

Good parents come in all shapes, sizes and ages! Nancy Grace will soon be a new mother. Similarly, Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato, who will be 70 years old, will soon be a new father.
D'Amato, who turns 70 on Aug. 1, is expecting a child in February. D'Amato's relatively young wife, Katuria D'Amato, is 41. The former Senator went on record as saying, "If you had told me this prior to getting married, I would have said you're out of your mind," The D'Amatos will have been married three years as of next week. The New York Republican has four adult children from his previous marriage and 14 grandchildren.

Teens Growing Up Too Quickly is Not Always a Bad Thing?

I have heard many adults complain that kids are growing up too quickly. But here is an example where it may be a good thing. A new study out of Washington suggest that teens are becoming more and more like married people. (They are having less and less sex!) The study indicates that fewer high school students are having sex and when they do, it is more likely that they are using condoms. It is good news that the teen birth rate has hit a record low. More teens then ever are graduating from high school. Ed Sondik , director of the National Center for Health Statistics said, "The implications for the population are quite positive in terms of their health and their well-being." This means the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is lower. The birth rate in the 15-19 age group was 40 per 1,000 in 2005 down from ten years ago.

Update onTragic Death of Four Year Old at Great America Amusement Park and 16 Year Old in Oshkosh (Update 12-7-07) Kaitlyn Lasitter

Tradegy can strike any where. Even at a place that is suppose to be a fun safe haven for children from the dangers of urban life. A 4-year-old boy drowned in the wave pool at the Paramount Great America amusement park in Santa Clara, California and a 16 year old fell from a ride in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Lifeguards pulled the unconscious boy from a two-foot-deep section of the "Great Barrier Reef." Bill Lentz, Great America 's general manager, indicates that the wave pool contains 355,000-gallon of water. It opened Memorial Day. Waves simulates the sensation of an ocean (California apparently does not have enough ocean. In the past wave pools have been common in places like the midwest where oceans are "something you see on post cards and in movies.)

The park apparently provides life vests and inner tubes for visitors to use in the wave pool. (Generally inner tubes are forbidden at most wave pools for safety reasons!) The pool does not have age or size restrictions. No public information has been released as to who was supervising the four year old at the time of the accident. Lifeguards and Great America emergency workers administered CPR on the child until paramedics took over.The boy died at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara.

We should all join in mourning the loss of this child, for the world has been robbed of what he may have contributed had he had the opportunity.

Update: 7-14-07

Yolanda Flores, mother of the child, blames the Great America amusement park in Santa Clara for the drowning of her 4-year-old boy. Flores apparently let her 4-year-old boy, Carlos Alejandro Flores, play unattended. She claims there were only four life guards on duty not six as Park officials contend. Carlos drowned in two feet of water and according to mom was discovered by his 8 year old sister, Jasmine.

Great America policy requires six life guards; however, they advocate adult supervision of one's own child.

Elizbeth Mohl
Update 7-15-07 Tragedy strikes in Oshkosh, WI. A 16 year old teen, Elizabeth K. Mohl, fell from a festival ride and died. The ride, Old Glory, used a crane to hoist up a person in a sling. At the top, the person pulls a ripcord which drops the person while they swing back and forth. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, the ride malfunctioned.

Kaitlyn Lasitter

Update: 7-24-04 LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 13 (UPI) -- Randall and Monique Lasitter, parents of Kaitlyn Lasitter, have filed a suit against Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom theme park because their daughter's feet were severed on a ride. The suit is filed in Jefferson Circuit Court. Plaintiff's seek money damages and a restraining order to bar the theme park from dismantling the ride. Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville reattached Kaitlyn Lasitter's right foot, but the left one could not be saved. Thirteen year old Kaitlyn Lasitter remains hospitalized and Legal Pub wishes her a speedy recovery.

Update 12-7-07. Congratulations to Kaitlyn Lasitter. She has taken a big step on the road to recovery as yesterday she took her first steps with a prosthetic limb. God's speed, young lady. Thousands of people are praying for your swift recovery.

Email: legalpub@legalpub.net you may send your comments and topic suggestions.

Another Spouse Suspected of Foul Not Fore Play in Regards to Missing Woman

Legal Pub has continued to point out that Men need to wise up. Boyfriends, husbands, exboyfriends and exhusbands are always suspects in any murder or disappearance. In Plainfield, Illinois, it is no exception. Lisa Stebic has been missing for more than two months. Police fear that Lisa Stebic was the victim of foul play. While they have not yet named her husband as a suspect, they have labeled him as "person of interest." I suspect that is a fine distinction that is of little consolation to Lisa's husband, Craig Stebic. (Craig is pictured on the left courtesy of WBBM T.V.)

Lisa Stebic disappeared April 30. Perhaps coincidentally, that was the same day Lisa mailed a petition seeking to remove her husband, Craig, from their home.

Child Abuse, Child Sleep Protection, or A Unique Form of Time Out?

A couple in Norwalk, Ohio had a unique way of caring for their children: they apparently put them in a bed at night which resembled a cage. As a result, Michael and Sharen Gravelle are looking at a two-year prison sentence. The Gravels allegedly forced some of their 11 adopted special-needs children to sleep in "cages." Yet the couple hope to get the children back. The Gravelles were sentenced in February on four felony child endangering charges and seven misdemeanors. The couple are free on bond pending appeal.

The children ranged in age from 1 to 14. The children suffered from numerous problems including fetal alcohol syndrome. The children lived in the Gravelles home in Wakeman, about 60 miles west of Cleveland. Three weeks ago, the Ohio Supreme Court refused an appeal of the custody case that put the children into foster care. Michael Gravelle has contended that he and his wife made enclosed beds for the safety of the troubled children. The prosecution presented evidence that the Gravelles sometimes put the childern in small wood-and-wire enclosures for punishment. The Gravelles have denied this allegation.The couple faces a two-year prison sentence. In the meantime, the new part of this story is that the Gravelles continue to want the children back. Right or wrong, it is not likely to happen.

Charlie Weiss Loses Suit Against Doctors for Alleged Botched Surgery: Gross Malpractice? No Says Jury (Update 9-15-08)

Update 7-25-07 :As Legal Pub Predicted, Notre Dame Football coach Charlie Weiss has lost his malpractice case. Just like Bowl Games, malpractice cases are hard to win; especially when you have both the facts and the law against you. Yesterday the Jury returned the Defendant's Verdict after 3 hours deliberation.
(Charlie just can't seem to win the big ones lately!)

Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weiss once again tried his lawsuit against his surgeon for malpractice in performing gastric bypass surgery. Charlie Weiss appeared in court to begin a retrial of a lawsuit that claims surgeons botched his gastric bypass surgery. Weiss alleges negligence by Massachusetts surgeons after internal bleeding and other complications caused him to fall into a coma. The first lawsuit ended in a mistrial after a juror collapsed and a doctor testifying for the defense rendered aid. Fans of programs other than Notre Dame have nicknamed the Notre Dame coach, "Fat Charlie" a name he probably does not appreciate.

Charlie, who has lost weight, still is not what you would call "skinny." The civil trial on this case involves a battle of legal heavy weights.

Update 7-15-07 A new jury was selected and the retrial has began. William Dailey, attorney for doctors Charles Ferguson and Richard Hodin, countered that Weis' internal bleeding was not unusual for this type of surgery. Speculation according to some Illinois football fans, is that the internal bleeding may be due to some lost recruiting battles with University of Illinois' Ron Zook. (Ulcers will do that to you.)

Update 7-20-07 Besides the defense of standard of care, a subtle theme of the defense was aimed at mitigation of damages. Weiss lost 90 lbs and landed his dream job post surgery. The argument is that his complications were recognized as a known risk and that his recovery has been decent. On Thursday, one of the defendants, Dr. Charles Ferguson, testified in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston. Apparently he did a great job of teaching the jury about the procedure and why Charlie Weis case against him and fellow surgeon, Dr. Richard Hodin, should fail.
Update 7-25-07 Defendant's Verdict!
Update 9-3-07 Charlie Weiss continues his losing ways as Notre Dame is thrashed by Georgia Tech in the opening game of the season.

Update 9-12-07 Charlie Weiss losing ways were extended another week as Notre Dame was thrashed by Penn State 31-10. Is it time for Notre Dame to now get rid of its excess dead weight?
Update 9-23-07 If Weiss could lose weight like he loses games, he would not have needed gastric bypass surgery in the first place. Notre Dame loses to Michigan State 31-14. Link
Update 9-28-07: Weiss is losing players too. Demetrius Jones, the Q.B. who started the season as the Irish Q.B. has left school. Guard Chris Stewart was not at practice Thursday and apparently has left Notre Dame. Stewart, a 6-foot-5, 339-pound sophomore, follows Jones and tight end Konrad Reuland, who left the team last weekend and is reportedly headed to a junior college in California.
10-1-07 Update: Weiss led Notre Dame gets pounded by Purdue. Weiss loses 5th in a row!This is the worst start in school history. 0 Wins and 5 Losses.

10-8-07 Update: Weiss loses his losing ways and leads Notre Dame to an upset of UCLA 20 to 6. It is an upset only because odds makers thought Notre Dame may go winless for 2007!
10-11-07 High School Coach slams Weiss Ogre Personality. LINK
10-14 Still more losing for Weiss. First another loss to Boston College 1 win 6 losses and another player leaves! Offensive lineman Matt Carufel, a former high school All-American left the Notre Dame football team, according to the Chicago Tribune. He started the last three games. Rumors are that Carufel, a 6-5, 295-pound sophomore, is considering transferring to Iowa or Minnesota.
10-22 Update: Weiss lost another game to USC deflating Notre Dame down to a record of 1 win 7 losses, but he may be on the verge of reaching a compromise with the University. Legal Pub projects a joint announcement that Weiss will be leaving Notre Dame and returning to the pros. (Perhaps Giants.)
Update 10 -26 Weiss Declared worst coach in Country! LINK
Update 11-12-07 Weiss does something that no other Notre Dame coach has done in over 40 years, LOSE to NAVY! Then comes back the following week and gets pummeled by the Air Force Academy. 1 Win 9 Losses! Only thing Weiss is winning is the battle over the extra desert.

Update 9-15=08: Even when the team wins, Weiss loses. In Notre Dame's win over Michigan on Saturday, Weiss got hit by a player along the sidelines. Weiss will need reconstructive surgery on his ACL & MCL in his left knee.

Update 12-9-11: Charlie is back at it! Kansas took a big risk on the big coach and hired him as their new head coach. Apparently Kansas wanted to make a big splash. No doubt Coach Weiss will unlikely be confused for a pebble being thrown into a pond. Good luck coach...