Father Nathan Brooks, 36, of New York’s Diocese of Syracuse, has been arrested on charges of sexual abuse, including that of a minor, for alleged incidents from 2019 to 2022. Charges include endangering the welfare of a child, forcible touching, and sexual abuse in the third degree.

It is believed he has groomed many children. What we know to be true of child sexual offenders is where there is one victim, there usually are more. Brooks works with four churches:

• Church of the Nativity at St. Joseph in Lafayette
• Immaculate Conception in Pompey
• St. Leo in Tully
• St. Patrick Mission in Otisco.

You are not alone.

Andreozzi + Foote lawyers offer experience and a trauma-informed approach when seeking justice for our clients.

How Can A Civil Lawsuit Help Victims Seek Justice For The Trauma They May Have Experienced Father Nathan Brooks?

There are many misunderstandings about why a survivor of sexual abuse would choose to file a civil lawsuit.   Child sexual abuse takes away so much from the survivors and families impacted. Our society still struggles to find ways to repair the harm done by individual perpetrators and institutions that have covered up child sexual abuse.  Outdated statutes of limitations across our country leave far too many survivors denied access to our criminal or civil justice courts.

Filing a civil case can be an essential step for survivors and their families in their journey to slowly rebuild their lives and create pathways to healing.  Motivation for filing a civil suit is often questioned and unfairly stereotyped as being “all about money. Filing a civil lawsuit can cast survivors as “money hungry” and is weaponized to shame and blame them even more. This couldn’t be further from the truth for survivors of child sexual abuse. The civil justice system offers victims more than just monetary benefits.  It gives survivors access to justice, validation, exposure, confrontation, and ultimately some resolution. The resolution allows survivors of sexual abuse to understand and process what happened and create a new path forward without confusion, questions, and fear.

Can I File A Lawsuit Against the Diocese of Syracuse?

Yes. You may have rights if you were a victim of Father Nathan Brooks while he was employed at the New York Diocese of Syracuse.