DALLAS (KRLD) - A woman is suing the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, saying she was "repeatedly" assaulted by the former priest who was arrested this week in Missouri. Richard Brown was removed from service in 1993 and officially stripped of his role as a priest in 2002.
The woman, identified as "Jane Doe" in the lawsuit, says she was assaulted when Brown was an assistant pastor at Holy Family of Nazareth in Irving. The woman was eight years old at the time.
"They have someone on their hands they knew was a serial pedophile, and they continued to move him to different parishes after my client was abused," says the woman's lawyer, Tahira Khan Merritt. "These parishes had schools."
The lawsuit says the woman was left with psychological injuries as a result of the abuse. Her aunt filed the suit on her behalf because the abuse left her a "vulnerable adult of unsound mind."
The lawsuit accuses the Dallas Diocese of gross negligence. Khan Merritt says the diocese did not notify law enforcement when families started making accusations; instead, she says the diocese simply moved Brown to different parishes.
"It's a cover-up situation, and it's choosing their reputation and desire not to have a scandal over the lives of these children," she says. "It's not like the priest is stealing money. He's stealing the innocence of these girls."
The diocese has not responded to requests for comment about the lawsuit. Bishop Edward Burns posted a video Thursday about the arrest of Brown.
"We have taken extraordinary steps in outreach to victims and to assure we do everything possible we create a safe environment within our church, our schools and our parish programs," he said.
He says the diocese would continue to take "necessary steps to do what is right."