CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A man filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging he was molested as a teen by a Catholic priest, becoming the first person to sue under a new Delaware law allowing child sexual abuse victims to seek damages for misdeeds that occurred years ago.
Robert Quill, 52, a Wilmington, Del., native who lives in Marathon, Fla., filed a federal lawsuit alleging that as a teenager he was molested at least 300 times by the Reverend Francis G. DeLuca, who worked for the Catholic diocese of Wilmington for 35 years.
Quill's lawsuit alleges that church officials in Wilmington knew as early as 1958 that DeLuca was sexually abusing young boys, yet continued to allow him to serve as a priest for a generation.
The lawsuit was filed less than 48 hours after Gov. Ruth Ann Minner signed a law abolishing Delaware's two-year statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits for victims of child sex abuse.
In the early 1990s, DeLuca, now 77, retired to his hometown of Syracuse, N.Y., where he pleaded guilty last month to repeatedly sexually abusing a boy there.
Shortly after DeLuca was arrested in New York, Wilmington bishop Michael Saltarelli released the names of 20 diocesan priests, including DeLuca, against whom the diocese had substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.
A phone number for DeLuca in New York could not immediately be found.
Quill retired as a staff attorney for the federal appeals court in Atlanta after being diagnosed in 2002 with post-traumatic stress disorder.
He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages worth at least $2.5 million, the amount he said he lost in salary and pension benefits when he retired early because of his condition. (AP)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Pennsylvania regulatory health boards condemn conversion therapy
May 03 2024 4:00 PM
These 4 states don't allow pregnant women to get a divorce
May 03 2024 3:56 PM
PLUS
HealthJustice Dept plans to reschedule marijuana as a lower-risk drug
May 03 2024 3:03 PM
Gay lawmaker Robert Garcia hosted Free Comic Book Day on Capitol Hill
May 03 2024 11:30 AM
Get ready for a sizzling summer at Fire Island Pines in 2024
May 03 2024 9:00 AM
Brittney Griner reveals she considered suicide while in Russian captivity
May 02 2024 6:21 PM
Trans woman Sasha Williams stabbed to death in Las Vegas
May 02 2024 5:19 PM
The top 10 gayest NBA mascots, ranked
May 02 2024 3:38 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedSpice up your space with the top 10 sexiest queer art on The Pride Store
May 02 2024 1:43 PM
‘World’s Strongest Gay’ retiring from professional strongman competition
May 02 2024 12:09 PM