Founder of Clergy Abuse Group Quits in Second Major Loss Following Lawsuit
Religion News Service’s David Gibson reports, “The founder of a prominent advocacy group for children sexually abused by Catholic priests has resigned, the second major departure in the wake of a lawsuit filed last month by a former employee alleging that the organization colluded with lawyers to refer clients and profit from settlements.” Barbara Blaine, the founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), claimed her resignation was unrelated to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges, “In exchange for the kickbacks, SNAP refers survivors as potential clients to attorneys, who then file lawsuits on behalf of the survivors against the Catholic Church. These cases often settle, to the financial benefit of the attorneys and, at times, to the financial benefit of SNAP, which has received direct payments from survivors’ settlements.”