By Alex Davidson
A State Supreme Court justice ruled last week that a former Ozone Park principal can sue the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and the school's former pastor on charges of sexual abuse and harassment.
Judge Duane Hart of Jamaica denied the diocese's request that the case, brought by former St. Elizabeth's Parish Church School Principal Barbara Samide, should be dismissed. Church lawyers had tried to argue the diocese should be considered a nonprofit organization and thus immune from the lawsuit.
“It's a terrific decision for us,” said Samide's attorney Michael Dowd. “I'm very happy because this opens the way for us to vindicate my client and to punish the wrongdoers.”
Dowd said the judge had imposed a gag order in the case, essentially prohibiting both Samide and the diocese from commenting on specifics of the case.
Samide initiated the lawsuit in June against Rev. John Thompson, 50, the pastor of St. Elizabeth's, accusing him of financial mismanagement of church funds, sexual assault and sexual abuse, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. The suit also named the diocese, which covers both Brooklyn and Queens, and its head, Bishop Thomas Daily.
Samide, who was popular with both parents and students at the school, was put on unpaid leave in September by the diocese three months after filing the suit.
Frank DeRosa, spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn, said lawyers working on the case were confident the church would be vindicated when all the facts come out.
The case prompted the DA's office to investigate her accusations against Thompson, who resigned in March and then pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to stealing $95,940 in parish funds. He was sentenced to five years' probation.
Thompson, who became pastor of St. Elizabeth's in 1997, stole the parish funds to pay for an Infiniti car lease, trips with a gay lover to Mexico and Florida and other personal expenses between Aug. 4, 1998 and April 1, 2002, Brown said. He lives in Rockaway.
Samide told reporters before the gag order was issued that she was not seeking monetary compensation for Thompson's alleged sexual abuse and harassment. At the time of Thompson's sentencing, she said she was looking forward to getting on with her life.
“I'm only looking for an apology from the diocese, then I would dismiss the lawsuit,” Samide had said. “I'm not in this for the church's money.”
Thompson cut a deal with the district attorney and was allowed to pay a smaller amount than Samide had accused him of stealing.
Thompson said in a written statement at his sentencing that Samide's charges were false and that he paid for a lie detector test to prove his innocence against her claims, said his lawyer, Roland Riopelle.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 156
