Indiana man is 10th person to accuse ex-priest of abuse

Indy Star/June 14, 2006
By Robert King

A 40-year-old Indiana man has become the 10th person to sue the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis with claims of childhood sexual abuse by former priest Harry Monroe, who also was named in the case.

The man, identified in court papers only as "John Doe WC," says he was abused in "approximately 1979 or 1980" while he was a parishioner and Monroe was a priest at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Terre Haute.

The previous nine lawsuits involved allegations against Monroe from his pastoral stints in Tell City, Cannelton and Indianapolis. Each of those was filed in Marion County, where the archdiocesan headquarters is located.

But Tuesday's suit was filed in Vigo County because the victim and his family still live in the Terre Haute area and wanted the suit filed there, said Minnesota attorney Pat Noaker, who represents all of the plaintiffs.

Recently, similar cases based on events from so long ago have been dismissed in Indiana courts for failing to meet the state's statute of limitation. Most abuse cases must be filed within two years of an alleged victim becoming an adult.

Noaker said delays in the plaintiff realizing how the abuse affected his life, and actions taken by the archdiocese to conceal the actions, should allow the time limit to be extended.

The archdiocese does not comment on pending lawsuits. Monroe could not be reached.