Neil Papiano - Legal Career - Libel Suit By Napa Priest

Libel Suit By Napa Priest

In 2004, Papiano filed a libel action on behalf of a Napa priest in a lawsuit filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles stemming from an accusation to the Church that the Monsignor had molested a grade-school girl more than 30 years earlier in Southern California, even though he had never been criminally charged. The libel action was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the woman who made the accusations, as well as the woman's lawyer and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a national advocacy group for priest sex abuse victims. Papiano said of the priest: "We're defending his honor." The defendants contended that the libel action was intended to silence victims of priest abuse, a move they said contradicted the U.S. bishops' invitation to victims to come forward. The national director of SNAP said of the suit filed by Papiano: "It's clearly an intimidation tactic." Papiano said that his client wanted the woman, the law firm and SNAP to drop their allegations of abuse and issue apologies. "All they have to do is just walk away now", Papiano was quoted as saying. But if the case progressed, Papiano said he would incur costs that he would attempt to recover from the plaintiffs.

In May 2004, Judge Jon M. Mayeda threw out the libel lawsuit as to the Survivors Network. The regional director of the Survivors Network, Mary Grant, noted at the time: "Church leaders for too long have been allowed to isolate victims, blame them as though the crime was their fault. ... This is a public safety issue and we're not going to be silent about it." Grant called tho woman a "brave survivor" and said that because the priest remained in active ministry, "we are worried about the safety of youngsters around him." Papiano noted in court that Alzugaray was cleared by two church investigations. Papiano asserted that his client "is not a molester. He has never been a molester" and added that the judge's decision would be appealed. In September 2004, the libel suit against the woman's lawyer was also stricken by the court, a decision which was subsequently affirmed by the California Court of Appeal.

In September 2006, the Survivors Network filed a lawsuit accusing Papiano and the priest of malicious prosecution.

In July 2007, the Roman Catholic Archiocese of Los Angeles settled the case. Papiano said the Archdiocese reached settlement in his case without his client's permission. Papiano told the Associated Press: "Here's a good man, a real good man who has always been wonderful to the church who just gets left out of this." At the time of the settlement (which included more than 500 other claims), Cardinal Roger Mahony made a public apology, saying: "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."