A retired priest has been accused of assaulting a bible study student at his Bronx parish in the 1970s.
A lawsuit was filed against Louis Gigante, brother of late mob boss Vincent Gigante, in May alleging he molested a nine-year-old boy at St. Athanasius Church in 1976-77.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily News, Gigante forced the victim to 'endure prolific and profound abuse'.
The suit, which does not name the victim, seeks unspecified damages from the church, as well as the Archdiocese of New York.
Former St. Athanasius Church priest Louis Gigante (pictured) has been accused of assaulting a 9-year-old bible study student at his Bronx parish in the 1970s
'[The] plaintiff would attend bible study at the church with Father Gigante and (he) would find ways to get plaintiff alone ... and repeatedly performed oral sex on him,' the suit claims.
The complaint alleges that both the parish and Archdiocese 'knew or should have known that Father Gigante was sexually abusing children and/or had the propensity to do so'.
It also states the risk of sexual abuse towards the victim was 'open and obvious and known by many students, children, clergy and administration' and continues to accuse the defendants of failing to take any action to stop the abuse.
Neither the Archdiocese nor St. Athanasius Church immediately responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
Gigante is one of 177 people named in a 'wave of lawsuits' against individuals associated with the Archdiocese of New York. The complaints were made under the state's 2019 Child Victims Act which granted a one-year window for child sexual abuse survivors to file suits on cases that had already exceeded the statute of limitations. The act, which expires on August 14, has been extended twice.
Gigante (middle) is one of 177 people named in a 'wave of lawsuits' against individuals associated with the Archdiocese of New York. He is known for his work in local politics as well as his commitment to the South Bronx community.
Gigante (right) is the younger brother of Vincent Gigante, convicted boss of the Genovese crime family. He stood by Vincent's side when he was accused and convicted
The NYC-based law firm Curis Law, who is representing the plaintiff in the case against Gigante, issued a statement to the Bronx Times saying they hope to see the statute of limitations permanently removed for survivors of child sexual abuse.
'We commend all child sexual abuse survivors coming forward and seeking justice,' the statement reads. 'It is unfortunate that the August 14, 2021 deadline will soon come to an end and look to New York State to implement new legislation to remove time restrictions as the trauma and suffering for these survivors is everlasting.'
Gigante is the youngest of five brothers, one of whom was Vincent Gigante, convicted boss of the Genovese crime family.
The former priest stood by Vincent when he was accused and convicted.
Gigante is also known for his work in local politics, specifically his role in economic and community development in the Bronx.
Post a Comment