PITTSBURGH — Fourteen people filed lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh on Thursday, all claiming to have been sexually abused by priests as children.
The diocese, Bishop David Zubik and Cardinal David Wuerl – Zubik’s predecessor – are named as defendants in the cases, says attorney Alan Perer.
The complaints name seven priests who appear in the bombshell grand jury report detailing abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses that was released earlier this year, Perer said. They also name three others accused by victims who are coming forward for the first time; George Leach, John Unger and Peter Pilarski.
Perer blames a pattern of concealment and conspiracy for the lawsuits being filed after the statute of limitations passed. The cases seek expansion of that law, he said.
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