Church in $550,000 abuse case

Wellington, New Zealand --

A woman is claiming more than half a million dollars from the Catholic church for physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse she says she suffered while in the care of an Upper Hutt orphanage.

The woman, whose name is suppressed by a court order, says she was repeatedly abused at St Joseph's orphanage in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The nuns' names are also suppressed.

Now in her forties, she is seeking $350,000 damages, $100,000 aggravated damages and $100,000 exemplary damages and court costs. The three-week hearing begins in the High Court at Wellington tomorrow.

The damages sought are believed to be the highest claimed against the Catholic Church in an abuse case in New Zealand.

The defendants - the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington, Catholic Social Services, the Sisters of Mercy (Wellington) Trust Board and St Joseph's Orphanage Trust Board - deny the allegations.

The Sisters of Mercy say the claim is barred under the Limitation Act 1950, and that they are not liable for aggravated or exemplary damages.

Read the article at stuff.co.uk Dated July 31, 2005

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