NJ Catholic School Sex Abuse Victim Speaks Out After Landmark Trial
MORRISTOWN, NJ — Thursday marked the end of what was the first-ever civil trial against the Catholic Church in New Jersey.
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Last week, a Morristown jury found that the plaintiff, now in his 60s, was sexually abused by Father Richard Lott as a 15-year-old Delbarton student in the 1970s. Lott served as a Benedictine monk, teacher, and supervisor of student workers in Delbarton’s maintenance department. The jury awarded the man, only identified as T.M., with $5 million in compensatory damages.
Thursday, a civil jury determined that Delbarton, operated by the Order of St. Benedict of NJ, would not be required to pay any punitive damages, marking the end of the first of many sex abuse trials against the all-boys Catholic school.
T.M. has spoken out regarding the trial’s outcome. See a statement from him below:
“The jury’s verdict is a seismic shift towards institutional accountability. When I first reported Father Richard Lott’s abuse to Abbot Clarke in 1977, I trusted him to ensure that Lott would be held accountable and that what happened to me would never happen to anyone else. That trust was betrayed. Despite my warning, many others have come forward to report that the abuse continued. My hope is that by pursuing this nearly nine-year climb to justice, I can help others understand the profound and lasting impact of clergy sexual abuse – not just on the victims, but on their families, their communities, and their futures. No one should have to endure what I have experienced. My fervent desire is that other survivors will stand upon our result and find the courage to seek justice for themselves. Together, we must demand institutions do more to protect children.”
T.M. was represented by Rayna Kessler and Michael Geibelson of Robins Kaplan LLP, who said that his “courage and perseverance have paved a path to justice for all survivors seeking accountability.”
“The evidence presented at trial showed that the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, the operator of the Delbarton School, enabled decades of child sexual abuse and systematically concealed it to guard their reputation. This is the first verdict against Catholic Church-affiliated defendants for sexual abuse in New Jersey, and it sends a clear message: the culture of secrecy is shattered,” the attorneys said. “By holding a powerful institution responsible through this jury trial, this result empowers survivors of sexual abuse to demand their day in court.”
T.M.’s case against the school was the first of nearly 40 upcoming sex abuse cases involving the all-boys school and its church affiliates.
Background
The suit began in 2017 when T.M. sued Delbarton, claiming he was sexually abused by Lott as a 15-year-old Delbarton student in 1975.
T.M. added that he was abused by the clergyman in his secluded residence on campus, where Lott is said to have “groomed other boys by providing pornography, alcohol, and illicit substances.”
According to court documents, other Delbarton administrators knew about the “illicit substances” being given to students, but no action was taken.
“OSBNJ increasingly granted Lott a significant amount of freedom that enabled him to groom and sexually abuse (T.M.) Despite having the right to control Lott in each of his roles at St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton, OSBNJ chose not to impose any limits on his place of residence, responsibilities, or the boundaries of his relationships with students,” the suit claims. “This freedom included the head of OSBNJ expressly granting Lott permission to move his residence to a secluded, private barn away from where other monks lived. It was at this barn, with no supervision, that he fostered inappropriate relationships with numerous students and sexually abused (T.M.)… By providing Lott with such a broad scope of authority and independence, OSBNJ aided him in his sexual abuse of (T.M.) and is thus vicariously liable for (T.M.’s) harm.”
T.M. reported the abuse to Abbot Brian Clarke, who later admitted to destroying the complaint and never contacting police, according to court documents. While Clarke died in 2019, Delbarton’s gymnasium was named after him. Lott was fired from Delbarton for “unlawful absence,” but remains an ordained priest today.
In 2018, Delbarton admitted that at least 30 students had come forward with sexual abuse allegations that took place between 1968 and 1999.
New Jersey’s Child Victims Act went into effect from 2019 to 2021, allowing people to file civil claims of sexual abuse even when the abuse exceeded the statute of limitations. Six more Delbarton alumni, in addition to T.M., came forward with their stories, prompting more lawsuits.
T.M. sought personal injury claims as a result of the childhood sex abuse, including physical, emotional, and/or psychiatric injuries, as well as PTSD, depression, loss of Catholic faith, and much more.
NJ Catholic School Sex Abuse Victim Speaks Out After Landmark Trial
Jack Slocum
Patch Staff
October 16, 2025
