Another lawsuit filed against church

Evansville Courier and Press/December 9, 2002

Louisville, Ky. -- A man has filed suit against the Roman Catholic Church claiming he was sexually abused by a priest and that church officials covered up the abuse.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Jefferson County Circuit Court, brings the number of lawsuits pending against the Archdiocese of Louisville to 197.

Primus L. Klapheke claimed he was abused by the Rev. Louis E. Miller when he was a child at Holy Spirit Church in Louisville. The alleged abuse occurred sometime in the mid- to late 1950s, according to the suit.

Miller has been named in more than 70 of the lawsuits. He faces 59 criminal charges of indecent or immoral practices with another in Jefferson and Oldham counties. All counts are felony charges.

Miller, who retired in March after allegations surfaced, has pleaded innocent to all of the charges except for two. An arraignment is scheduled for those two counts next week.

Miller is scheduled for trial in March in Jefferson County and June in Oldham County.

He is among three priests in the Louisville archdiocese to be indicted since an onslaught of lawsuits nationwide against the Catholic Church. The other Louisville priests indicted are the Revs. Daniel C. Clark and James Hargadon.