On Thursday, an Australian court heard from the lawyer for a man who is suing the Catholic Church and Cardinal George Pell.
The man is the father of a former choirboy who was allegedly molested by Pell, according to the prosecution. His son never complained to Pell and passed away in 2014 from an accidental drug overdose.
In a legal action, the father is suing the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and 81-year-old Pell, who presided as the archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001, for damages.
On April 7, 2020, the High Court of Australia unanimously overturned Pell’s conviction for alleged sexual assault.
After serving more than 13 months in jail, the cardinal—who has consistently maintained his innocence—was freed and sent back to Rome, where he had previously been the Vatican’s economy czar.
In remarks made on July 14 in front of the Victorian Supreme Court, plaintiff’s attorney Lisa Flynn said: “We’re here for the father of the deceased son, a son who our client alleges suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the Church when he was a boy.”
Flynn reportedly refused to talk about the damages that her client is suing for.
According to the Age, Pell’s lawyer, Nicholas O’Bryan, the cardinal “absolutely denies the allegations and will be defending the claim.”
The case was set to continue on August 4 at the brief hearing on Thursday.