Judge rejects Diocese motion to dismiss claims of abuse

In two alleged child sex abuse cases, John Doe 1K and John Doe 2K v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, NC, and John Doe and The Estate of Vincent Cook v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, NC, the Diocese had argued to the Court that the claims of three plaintiffs should be dismissed, and not allowed togo any further. The Mecklenburg County judge responsible for the case conducted a hearing. On July 13, the judge denied the motion and ordered that all three cases could proceed, on one issue, the statute of limitations. If the plaintiffs win on that issue, they can then proceed to discovery on the merits. In the John Doe 1K and 2K cases, the plaintiffs say they were abused by Father Joseph Kelleher many years ago, and they still suffer from the abuse. Their claims are similar to the claims of the plaintiffs in the John Doe and Estate of Vincent Cookcase, in which the plaintiffs contend they were abused by Father Richard Farwell. All the plaintiffs claim that the Diocese failed to protect children from priests it knew or should have known were abusive, and that the Diocese covered up the abuse. The claims the judge allowed to continue are for constructive fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and fraudulent concealment, negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, civil conspiracy, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and equitable estoppel. Leto Copeley, along with Seth Langson of Charlotte, represents the plaintiff.