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ATHENS -- The lawsuit filed against Diocese of Steubenville Bishop Jeffrey Monforton a year ago by a female impregnated by a defrocked priest while she was still a juvenile has been settled.
The female, identified only as "J.W.", and Monforton reached the settlement in March and the suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Henry Christopher Foxhoven, the one-time priest, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2020 to three counts of sexual battery. As part of his sentence, the defrocked Foxhoven also will have to register as a sex offender.
J.W., who had been an altar girl at one of Foxhoven's parish's, Holy Cross Church in Glouster, had originally sued it as well as the diocese, but both were dismissed as defendants in April 2021.
In settling the lawsuit, a statement released by Diocese Communications Director Dino Orsatti said the diocese and Monforton reached the compromise "to avoid the hazards and costs of litigation."
"However, they also are hopeful that this resolution will promote closure and healing for the serious misconduct by Foxhoven and for the allegations of the diocese's misconduct," the statement read. "The diocese will continue to take steps to prevent sexual misconduct, to promote openness about sexual misconduct claims, and will continue to move forward with an unwavering commitment to protecting our youth."
The suit, filed in January 2021, had claimed the girl was sexually assaulted and molested by Foxhoven "on dozens of occasions," many times on the Holy Cross church property itself. It contended Monforton should have intervened but didn't, even after he was alerted to Foxhoven's misconduct and claimed he'd "failed to protect plaintiff from harm."
But Monforton and the diocese maintain that following the October 2018 report of Foxhoven's sexual misconduct, "the diocese was assisted by its misconduct response team to develop a plan of action and to offer support to J.W. and her then-unborn daughter. "
"Monforton also notified the appropriate governing body of the church, as required by church doctrine," the statement said. "After completion of the canonical process, Pope Francis issued his decision to dismiss Foxhoven as a priest.
"In addition, the diocese, with the assistance of legal counsel, engaged in a detailed investigation of Foxhoven's misconduct. While the diocese has admitted that Foxhoven engaged in sexual misconduct with J.W., Bishop Monforton and the diocese have denied and continue to deny all of the allegations and contentions that they were legally liable to J.W."
Foxhoven was ordained as a priest in 2004. The relationship with J.W. was the first and only incident of sexual misconduct by Foxhoven reported to the diocese, the statement noted. The diocese has no information that Foxhoven has engaged in sexual misconduct with any other person, Orsatti pointed out.
"The Diocese of Steubenville takes all allegations and crimes concerning sexual misconduct very seriously," Monforton said. "The diocese has a sincere commitment to protecting vulnerable persons from sexual misconduct."
He said the diocese has published a list of priests, including Foxhoven, who have been "credibly accused" of at least one act of sexual misconduct with a minor, and encourages anyone who knows about or suspects child abuse to report it and provides several resources and contact numbers on the Child Protection section of the diocese's webpage (www.diosteub.org/child-protection).