“I had no ability to trust anybody,” he said. “That abuse … corrupted my entire adult life.”
Verti seeks over $100,000 in damages. A law that took effect in January 2021 allows a three-year window for victims to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers for incidents as far back as 1960.
The archdiocese responded to the lawsuit in a Thursday statement, saying: “The Archdiocese of Denver cares about all survivors of sexual abuse and is fully committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community — children, youth, and at-risk adults.”
The archdiocese does not comment on pending litigation, Kelly Clark, director of public relations and communications, told CNA Jan. 20.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Evans served as parochial vicar at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community in Arvada and pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Lakewood, both in the west Denver suburbs, before he was named pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.
Evans faced a criminal investigation in 2005, in which three teen victims were identified. A fourth victim was identified in a 2019 report from the Colorado attorney general’s office, Verti’s attorney Kurt Zaner said Thursday. Evans’ first victim reported his abuse to the Denver Archdiocese in March 2003, and the archdiocese reported the allegation to police immediately and revoked his pastoral faculties.
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