Lawyer Mitchell Garabedian : 91-year-old Theodore McCarrick : Accuser James Grein

This coming Thursday, October 28, ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, now age 91, is scheduled to appear in Dedham District Court in Massachusetts for the second time on the charge that he sexually abused Virginia resident James Grein, now age 61, at a wedding in 1974.

And thanks to the breathless and hyperbolic reporting from the media since the mid-1980s, the atmosphere against Catholic priests and the Catholic Church as a whole is so toxic, it is quite likely that a jury will find McCarrick guilty if this case ever goes to a trial, no matter what the facts are.

So instead of the usual one-sided coverage that is sure to ensue, we hope that the media will report some important facts about the current McCarrick case that they continue to ignore. For example:

● McCarrick is not the only cardinal that Grein has accused of abusing him. Grein has also made the claim that the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin abused him as well. Quite a coincidence.

● Grein has not one but two money-seeking lawsuits against the Church. Grein is represented by the smarmy contingency lawyer of Spotlight fame, Mitchell Garabedian. Indeed, it was Garabedian himself who wrote a letter to law enforcement to drum up the current case.

● Grein has also claimed without any evidence that he once had a private audience in the 1980s with Pope John Paul II (!) in which he told the pope of abuse by McCarrick. (See the remarkable video below.)

● As we have chronicled, Grein's bizarre accusations over the years have also contained near-impossible cameo appearances from Cardinal Bernard Law and the notorious Paul Shanley.

● Grein has strangely claimed, "My grandfather invented the bra and girdle." (Spoiler alert: He didn't.)

Salem witch trials – 2021?

Indeed, none of these strange facts alone refute Grein's accusations. We simply ask that the media try just for once to present a balanced portrait of this case. Everything is not as cut-and-dry as it seems.

We invite readers to see our extensive rebuttal to Grein's accusations as well as our posted video of Grein claiming that he met personally with Pope John Paul II.

● "Coincidence? McCarrick Accuser Now Claims That the Late Cardinal Bernardin Assaulted Him, Too!" (June 2019)
● "Even More Questions Raised About McCarrick Accuser James Grein" (December 2018)
● "Cardinal McCarrick Accuser's Claims Raise Questions" (July 2018)

Must-see video:

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Want to learn about the rampancy of false accusations against priests?:
- "False Accusations Against Catholic Priests Are Now At Epic Proportions" (May 2019)
- The book: The Greatest Fraud Never Told: False Accusations, Phony Grand Jury Reports, and the Assault on the Catholic Church by David F. Pierre, Jr. (Amazon.com)

Accuser James Grein with his sleazy lawyer Mitchell Garabedian

In August 2019, when the state of New York opened a "window" to suspend the statute of limitations and allow anyone to sue others for sexual abuse no matter how long ago, one of the very first to jump on the gravy train was then-61-year-old Virginia resident James Grein, who made international headlines a year earlier with the claims that Theodore McCarrick sexually abused him many decades earlier. His lawsuit named the Archdiocese of New York.

Then a few months later, in December, within just a few days of a similar window in New Jersey being enacted, Grein immediately filed suit against the Diocese of Metuchen and the Archdiocese of Newark, again alleging abuse by McCarrick.

Not surprisingly, Grein's lawyer is none other than the smarmy Mitchell Garabedian of "Spotlight" fame.

A crazy case all around

Theodore McCarrick in 2018

One cannot help but wonder: Why are 47-year-old charges being brought against a 91-year-old cleric who may not even survive the trial? Is it to juice up the value of Grein's phony civil suits so Grein and Garabedian can get even more cash from the Church? Did somebody get to somebody? Indeed, it was Garabedian himself who wrote to law enforcement to drum up the current charges.

Are prosecutors aware of Grein's multiple lawsuits, and are they aware of the many inconsistencies and serious problems with Grein's accusations? Grein has also made the claim that the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin abused him as well. Quite a coincidence. Grein also claims that he once had a private audience with Pope John Paul II (!) in which he told the pope of abuse by McCarrick. (See the remarkable video below.) Grein's accusations also contain near-impossible cameo appearances from Cardinal Bernard Law and the notorious Paul Shanley.

Indeed, Grein's accusations show compelling signs of being the product of the junk science of "repressed memory therapy." Can you say "kook"?

Sticking to the facts

It's hard to see what's in it for Massachusetts here other than a lot of fawning press attention to come.

We invite readers to see our extensive rebuttal to Grein's accusations as well as our newly posted video of Grein claiming that he met personally with Pope John Paul II. You can't make this stuff up!

● "Coincidence? McCarrick Accuser Now Claims That the Late Cardinal Bernardin Assaulted Him, Too!" (June 2019)
● "Even More Questions Raised About McCarrick Accuser James Grein" (December 2018)
● "Cardinal McCarrick Accuser's Claims Raise Questions" (July 2018)

Must-see video:

—————————————-

Want to learn about the rampancy of false accusations against priests?:
- "False Accusations Against Catholic Priests Are Now At Epic Proportions" (May 2019)
- The book: The Greatest Fraud Never Told: False Accusations, Phony Grand Jury Reports, and the Assault on the Catholic Church by David F. Pierre, Jr. (Amazon.com)

His turn in the 'Spotlight': Lawyer Mitchell Garabedian

In a stunning lawsuit filed just last month in Philadelphia federal court, an accused boarding school teacher accuses the notorious Church-suing tort lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who was profiled in the 2015 anti-Catholic film Spotlight, of defamation and "extortionary demands."

The lawsuit against Garabedian stems from accusatory letters sent by Garabedian in 2018 to a Pennsylvania boarding school on behalf of a client who claims that the accused teacher abused him when he was a student there decades ago in the mid-1990s. In one of his letters, Garabedian demanded $1 million "for settlement."

The accused teacher vehemently denies the abuse allegations against him, declaring that the charges are "completely false and defamatory."

News of the lawsuit was first reported by Victor Fiorillo at Philadelphia magazine.

Peeling back the onion

The most notable feature of the teacher's lawsuit against Garabedian is that it provides an eye-opening inside look into how devious and flimsy these abuse claims from decades ago can be. According to the suit:

● Garabedian did not even perform any kind of investigation into whether his client's claims were true or not, sending his accusatory letters to the school "without even obtaining the readily available school records of [his] client; records that would have shown [his client's] claims to be false." The lawsuit added, "Even a minimal investigation would have confirmed the falsity of [Garabedian's] malicious statements."

● Between the two letters he wrote to the boarding school, Garabedian changed the original dates for which he claimed the abuse occurred, apparently because his original dates would have made his client's claims impossible.

● Garabedian made a $1 million demand for money for his client even though he knew that the statute of limitations had long passed (by nearly a decade) to file a civil claim.

● "Garabedian had an improper motive for [his accusations], which were motivated by malice to leverage the fear of the statements being published for a quick extortionate payout."

In other words, Garabedian essentially believed he could shake down the boarding school by merely sending it a couple letters saying, "I'm Mitchell Garabedian, and I want a million dollars."

[**Click to read the lawsuit yourself : Doe v. Garabedian, et. al, April 2019 (pdf)**]

Shining the light on darkness

Kudos to the teacher for fighting back against Garabedian and the bogus accusations against him. He is represented by James Beasley, Jr., a highly respected Pennsylvania attorney.

And the time is now long overdue for the media and the culture as a whole to return to due process of law and begin scrutinizing these claims about abuse committed many decades ago. There is surely massive fraud being committed.

Time to wake up.

Absolutely unhinged: lawyer Mitchell Garabedian

The ethical rules governing lawyers in Massachusetts are crystal clear: Rule 8.4 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct states that it is professional misconduct for an attorney to:
– engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;
– engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice; [and/or]
– engage in any other conduct that adversely reflects on his or her fitness
   to practice law.

The American Bar Association (ABA) adds that it is professional misconduct should a lawyer "engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination" on the basis of religion.

Thus, if the bar in Massachusetts actually gives a rip about upholding the remaining reputation and dignity of the legal profession in its state, it should do something about contingency lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who appeared on Boston's WGBH Greater Boston program last week.

Morally and factually wrong

In yet another segment by the program on the issue of the many-decades-old cases of abuse in the Catholic Church – a segment that neither advanced the discussion in any way nor provided any new perspective – Garabedian made obscene statements that again revealed his deep-seated bigotry against the Catholic Church:

• Addressing the legal status of the Church as a charity, Garabedian thundered: "How is sexually molesting children a charitable purpose?"
• About Catholic bishops: "They're already portraying themselves as victims. That's their new line … The victims are not really clergy sexual abuse victims, according to them. The victims are the bishops. We're dealing with a corrupt criminal entity."
• "They're rotten to the core … You take away their religious garb, you take away their religion, they're a bunch of criminals who sexually abuse children or allowed children to be sexually abused."
• "They don't care about helping victims."

Keep in mind this was only a few months after Garabedian said on the very same program "they've been raping kids at a wholesale pace for centuries."

The bottom line is if such words had been said about any other group – whether it be Jewish people, Muslims, black people, or anyone else – the sanctions would be fast and furious. Garabedian's law license would already have been yanked.

It is high time that officials in Massachusetts finally hold Garabedian accountable for his public statements against the Catholic Church, which are not only false but also foment religious bigotry.

If holding a law license in Massachusetts means anything, it means that an individual should be held fully accountable for their public statements – especially those which are directed at religious groups and which manifest a clear religious bigotry and bias.

Here is the segment, if you can stomach it:

Bringing in the cash: Minneapolis lawyer Jeff Anderson

The high-profile, Church-suing attorney Jeff Anderson offered up a whopping check for $43,950 to SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) as he orchestrated this year's fundraising session at the group's annual conference at the Hilton Rosemont in Chicago, according to sources who were there.

Seizing the microphone during a mid-afternoon session this past Saturday, the zealous Anderson pleaded aggressively with attendees in the conference room to donate to the anti-Catholic group. Anderson announced that he would match all pledges made during the drive.

As the pledges commenced, Anderson energetically dashed around the room working the crowd like a carnival barker, eager to rake in more money for his favorite cause.

Other contingency lawyers pitch in

Fellow big-time contingency lawyers quickly stepped up to the plate. Chicago's Marc Pearlman (a partner of Anderson) offered up $10,000, and Seattle's Tim Kosnoff pledged $5,000. Boston's Mitchell Garabedian may have offered $2,000.

The SNAP-lawyer alliance exposed

As we have often pointed out, lawsuits alleging decades-old abuse by Catholic priests have become a big business, an industry with literally billions of dollars in revenue.

But the industry is composed of a relatively small number of players: professional victims' groups like SNAP; wealthy contingency lawyers who typically pocket a third of successful suits; and Church-bashing "experts" always ready to opine in court.

If anyone had any doubt about this close-knit collaboration, SNAP's annual conference should put any doubt to rest. Wealthy lawyers were opening their wallets to fund their favorite Church-bashers, likely with the hope that their gestures will keep the clients and fat paydays coming.

Lawyers contributed well over half of all of the money raised at SNAP's big event. The intimate partnership between the purported victims' group SNAP and its wealthy benefactor lawyers is thus undeniable.

[**Stay tuned for even more exclusive information about SNAP's recent conference. It will definitely surprise you!**]

Are the current criminal charges against Catholic clergy in Philadelphia the fruits of an active collaboration between the city's District Attorney's Office and the bitter, anti-Church advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)?

At first, such a startling question may sound ridiculous and paranoidal. However, TheMediaReport.com has uncovered eye-opening evidence – including video – suggesting close collaboration between the two parties in the past several years.

1. In 2006, John Salveson, who was head of the Philadelphia chapter of SNAP, decided to form his own organization called "The Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse Inc." (FACSA).

Among Salveson's first actions at his new group was assigning Mariana C. Sorensen to his board of directors. (See a news brief about this.)

Who is Mariana Sorensen? She is an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia and is the current prosecutor in the criminal cases against Catholic clergy. She was also the lead author of both the 2005 and 2011 Philadelphia grand jury reports against the Catholic Church.

Like those at SNAP, Sorensen has a well-established record of hostility against the Catholic Church in her actions and writings. (For much more on this, see TheMediaReport.com Special Report, "Who is Mariana Sorensen?" (Aug. 2011).)

2. A year later, a video from September 25, 2007, shows Salveson, Philly Ass't. D.A. Sorensen, and leaders of SNAP together in collaboration.

Yeshiva University law professor Marci A. Hamilton, a lawyer with a deep animus for the Church who has worked extensively with SNAP, convened a conference in New York City ("Call to Action"). The meeting's purpose was to advance legislative efforts to lift statutes of limitations for abuse claims in states across the country.

As the video below shows, Hamilton offered some remarks at her conference about the mission's efforts. She then introduced current and former leaders of SNAP, including Barbara Blaine, the founder and president of SNAP; and John Salveson.

Directly after this, Hamilton introduced Mariana Sorensen (Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney) and Charles F. Gallagher III, Philadelphia Deputy District Attorney (at the time).

Hamilton prefaced her introduction of the two Philly prosecutors by saying that the Philadelphia District Attorney's office "has been – by far – the best D.A.'s office in the country."

So here is a lawyer for SNAP openly praising the Philadelphia D.A.'s office during a close, collaborative endeavor.

[By the way, several notable attorneys were also in attendance at Marci's gathering. All of these have made BIG bucks suing the Catholic Church: NY's Michael G. Dowd, NJ's Stephen C. Rubino, Boston's Mitchell Garabedian, and NY's John Aretakis. (A note on Aretakis: In 2008, the State of New York actually suspended his law license for one year. The court cited numerous reasons, including that Aretakis "knowingly made false statements of law and fact," "engaged in undignified and discourteous conduct," and "asserted positions which served to harass and maliciously injure." In 2007, when a judge sanctioned Aretakis, the jurist specifically cited Aretakis' "personal vendetta" against the Catholic Church.)]

In Part II of this Special Report, TheMediaReport.com uncovers even more collaboration between individuals in the Philadelphia D.A.'s Office and SNAP. Check it out.

A wonderful priest by all accounts, Fr. Murphy was the object of not just one – but two – totally bogus abuse accusations. McGrory effectively illustrates the excruciating anguish and torment that false accusations can wreck upon a Catholic priest.

Fr. Murphy died last Saturday (June 11) at age 77, but he did not suffer from any tangible malady. McGrory explains:

They brought Murphy to a hospice [] a couple of weeks ago after doctors determined there was nothing left to be done. There was no cancer, no apparent physical disease, just a broken 77-year-old heart that refused to mend.

In other words, it was the overwhelming agony of the false accusations that deteriorated Fr. Murphy. The two fraudulent claims obliterated the spirit of the beloved pastor, who joyfully lived for ministering to prisoners and assisting the deaf.

Although Fr. Murphy appeared to fully bounce back after the first accusation, it was the second removal that emotionally devastated him. As the second charge surfaced, McGrory writes, Fr. Murphy had to cancel a long-planned party to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a priest. The emotional desolation led the once-happy pastor to antidepression medication.

The villains in all of this are not just the criminal individuals who lodged the phony charges. There is high-profile victim attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has lined his pockets with millions of dollars from suing the Catholic Church, mostly in the Boston area. It was Garabedian who widely trumpeted the fraudulent charges against Fr. Murphy.

Although he waits to near the end of the article to take aim at Garabedian, McGrory doesn't pull any punches.

Garabedian is a talented lawyer who has done vital work on behalf of hundreds of victims of abusive priests, but in terms of Murphy, what he did is a disgrace. Garabedian told me this week his Milton client was 'credible.' He wasn't. He lashed out at what he described as a 'kangaroo court,' the respected, independent archdiocesan panel that cleared Murphy. He didn't utter the only words worth hearing: I made a mistake.

Closing his article, McGrory writes:

[Fr. Murphy] died Saturday evening, a wisp of the man he once was. Garabedian lost his compass on this case, and thousands of people all over Massachusetts lost a truly wonderful priest.

A few quick closing thoughts:

1. A lot can be said about the title of McGrory's article, "Collateral damage." Think about it. That title is a discussion in itself.

2. For over a decade, the Globe has given Garabedian a wide-open forum to uncritically slam the Church and air wild claims, rarely with a syllable of challenge. The Globe has been instrumental in building Garabedian's clout, public profile, and bank account. The fact that the Globe finally denounced Garabedian is truly remarkable.

3. Profiles such as McGrory's have been almost non-existent in the major media, yet we know that hundreds of similar stories could be written. The issue of false accusations against Catholic priests is still woefully underreported. (We have reported this several times before. For example: From January 2011.)

4. If you think Fr. Murphy was just an anomaly on Garabedian's caseload, think again. There are more falsely accused priests connected to the notorious attorney. For starters, there is Fr. Roger N. Jacques. In 2002, a ridiculous accusation was lodged against the Boston-area cleric. The case had all the hallmarks of fraud: "repressed memory," hypnosis therapy, a changing story about the nature of the abuse, and the later addition of an allegation against another priest. Yet it took the innocent Fr. Jacques over four years to be fully exonerated. And, yes, the accuser was a client of Garabedian.

Let's hope that other journalists look to Brian McGrory's excellent article and realize that there is another side to the entire Catholic clergy abuse narrative that needs to be told.

[**ADDENDUM**: Read about Mitchell Garabedian becoming totally unhinged and "screaming at the top of his lungs" at Dr. William Donohue, President of The Catholic League!]