Delbarton NJ Catholic Abuse Lawsuit Opens First Civil Trial

Delbarton School, an elite all-boys Catholic preparatory school in northern New Jersey, faces a landmark sexual abuse lawsuit set for trial on September 2 in Morris County Superior Court. The case, the first civil trial involving the Catholic Church in New Jersey related to clergy sexual abuse, involves allegations by a former student known as T.M., who claims he was sexually abused at age 15 by Rev. Richard Lott, a former Delbarton teacher and Benedictine monk. The lawsuit accuses the Benedictine order of enabling the abuse and names both Delbarton School and its affiliated monastery, St. Mary’s Abbey, as defendants. T.M. alleges that Lott supplied him and other boys with alcohol and illicit substances and hosted illegal parties on campus. Despite T.M.’s report of the abuse to Abbott Brian Clarke in 1977, Clarke admitted to destroying the complaint letter and failing to notify authorities, prioritizing the school's reputation. The case is among nearly 40 pending lawsuits against Delbarton related to abuse dating from 1968 to 1999, highlighting a growing awareness of the extent of abuse within the school's community.