Clerkigder Abuse Survivors in New Orleans Lose Faith in Judge Over Secrecy

Survivors of clergy abuse in New Orleans, who were dismissed from a committee tasked with negotiating the settlement of the New Orleans Catholic archdiocese’s bankruptcy, have expressed their loss of confidence in the judge overseeing the case, Meredith Grabill.

This development follows the revelation that Grabill ignored recommendations from the U.S. justice department against expelling the survivors. The controversy centers on Judge Grabill’s decision to remove James Adams, Jackie Berthelot, Theo Jackson, and Eric Johnson from the committee following an investigation into attorney Richard Trahant, who informed a local school about its chaplain, Paul Hart, being an admitted molester.

Investigators found that Trahant might have violated confidentiality orders but recommended against punishing the survivors. Despite this, Grabill expelled them from the committee, fined Trahant £400,000, and sealed the US trustee’s investigative report. This has led survivors to question the judge’s impartiality and fairness, with some calling for her to step down, voicing concerns about the judge’s influence on the negotiations and the longevity of the bankruptcy proceedings.

The controversy has raised questions about the stability and equity of judicial processes in sensitive cases, highlighting the difficulty of navigating confidentiality issues and justice for abuse survivors.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/02/new-orleans-clergy-abuse-survivors-judge