NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A South Carolina woman has sued the Archdiocese of New York, the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix and the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz over sexual abuse allegations.
The suit was filed in New York Supreme Court on Feb. 10. Plaintiff Iris Dominguez, who was a parishioner of the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix, filed the suit against the churches alleging that she suffered sexual abuse by Father Reinaldo Rodela in the 1980s. Dominguez was six through nine years old during the time of the alleged abuse.
The suit states that the church and its superiors were aware of the father's propensity for sexual abuse. Dominguez's abuse reportedly included the father touching her buttocks and lower back with his genitals, and anal rape. The documents say that the first rape of Dominguez occurred on the night of her father's funeral in 1984.
Father Rodela was transferred out of the church by 1987. The Church of the Most Holy Crucifix closed in 2005.
Dominguez is suing for negligence against all defendants, statutory liability against all defendants, negligent supervision against all defendants, negligent hiring, training, direction and supervision against all defendants, and negligent infliction of emotional distress against all defendants, all for which Rodriguez is seeking punitive damages.
Dominguez is represented by Bonina and Bonina, P.C., of Brooklyn.