National

Father of ex-choirboy sues Pell, Church

By AAP Newswire

Jul 14, 2022

Cardinal George Pell in 2020. — The father of a dead ex-choirboy is taking Cardinal George Pell and the Catholic Church to court. -AAP Image

A father of a deceased ex-choirboy is suing Cardinal George Pell and the Catholic Church.

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Cardinal Pell was acquitted in 2020 after the High Court quashed his convictions for child sexual assault related to allegations he molested two choirboys in the late 1990s when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

He served 13 months in prison before being released.

The choirboy's father has now filed a civil case against the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the 81-year-old Cardinal Pell, with a directions hearing listed in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday.

The man is not identified in the case and is listed under a pseudonym.

The law firm representing the man could not say what he was seeking in damages.

"Our client's been through a lot," Shine Lawyers chief legal officer Lisa Flynn told reporters on Thursday morning.

"The High Court made some decisions in relation to the criminal prosecution against (Cardinal) Pell. Our case is a civil claim.

"There are different paths to justice and different avenues that survivors of abuse can take."