11th sex abuse suit filed against priest, church

Pacific Daily News/December 1, 2016

By Haidee V Eugenio

Another former altar boy and Boy Scout has alleged he was sexually abused from 1969 to 1973 by former island priest Louis Brouillard.

The accuser said the priest was never formally disciplined by the Archdiocese of Agana or the Catholic Church, even decades after the priest told Bishop Apollinaris Baumgartner and other clergy on Guam. Baumgartner was bishop of Guam from 1945 to 1970. Brouillard was ordained a priest on Guam in 1948 and was here until 1981.

Norman J.D. Aguon, now 56, said he was between the ages of 13 and 17 when Brouillard repeatedly sexually molested and abused him.

Aguon is now a resident of Milwaukie, Oregon. He lived in Malojloj during his childhood years, and served as an altar boy at the San Isidro Catholic Church in the village. Brouillard was a priest at the church and also a scoutmaster for the Guam chapter of the Boy Scouts of America.

Attorney David Lujan filed the complaint on behalf of Aguon Wednesday afternoon, bringing to 11 the number of lawsuits filed so far against Guam Catholic priests and the Archdiocese of Agana. Lujan said on Thursday there will be more lawsuits filed.

The lawsuits are possible after Gov. Eddie Calvo signed a law on Sept. 23, lifting the civil statute of limitations for those accused of abusing children, as well as the institutions that supported them.

Brouillard, now 95 and living in Minnesota, has admitted to sexually abusing at least 20 minors on Guam.

The latest complaint says Brouillard would walk around naked during meetings with altar boys at the Carmelite Monastery Convent in Malojloj. It alleges that while watching movies at the convent, Brouillard squeezed next to Aguon, and started to molest and masturbate him. The complaint says Brouillard did the same with other altar boys in Aguon’s presence.

“This happened on numerous occasions,” the complaint states.

Over a four-year period, the complaint says, Brouillard sought and obtained the permission of Aguon’s parents for him to spend the night at the convent, where Brouillard sexually molested and abused him.

The complaint states Brouillard would take about a dozen boys, including Aguon, to go hiking, camping and swimming as part of Boy Scout activities. Brouillard routinely insisted Aguon and the others swim naked and, during these activities, Brouillard sexually molested and abused Aguon, the complaint says.

“Despite the prolonged and egregious sexual abuse, spanning a period of several decades, neither the Agana Archdiocese nor the Roman Catholic ever formally disciplined Brouillard and in fact have paid and continued to pay up through present time, sums of money to Brouillard on a regular basis, ostensibly under the guise of a retirement stipend,” the complaint states.

The complaint demands a jury trial and seeks an unspecified amount of damages for child sexual abuse, negligence, negligent supervision, negligent hiring and retention, and breach of fiduciary duty/confidential relationship.

The Archdiocese of Agana has offered prayers to all victims of clergy sexual abuse.