FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A South Valley Monsignor is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno and the Chancellor for damages to his reputation.
On Thursday, the defamation lawsuit was filed with the Kern County Superior Court on behalf of Bakersfield Monsignor Craig Harrison.
This lawsuit names the Dioceses of Fresno and Chancellor Teresa Dominguez, claiming the defamatory statements were made in a news article published May 19, 2019 in KQED.
Monsignor Harrison had previously faced allegations of sexual misconduct in two cities.
This month, the Fresno County DA’s Office said Monsignor Harrison would not face criminal charges for alleged abuse while he was at St. Joseph’s in Firebaugh in Fresno County.
Last year, Bakersfield Police closed its investigation due to insufficient evidence from an alleged sexual battery case that reportedly occurred in the 1990’s.
In November of 2019, the Merced County DA’s Office said they could not file charges due to the statute of limitations — the alleged incidents were back in 1987 and 1988.
Monsignor Harrison filed a civil suit back on August 6, 2019 against the group Roman Catholic Faithful Incorporated and its leader, Steven Brady, claiming both made false claims about him.
In this most recent filing made on Thursday Feb. 20, 2020, Attorney Kyle J. Humphrey said his client Monsignor Harrison is seeking damages for “emotional distress, loss of income and impairment of earning capacity.”
Click to listen a report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
