Diocese settles sex-abuse case

TheCatholic Diocese of Honolulu and an O'ahu man last night reached anout-of-court settlement of a sex-abuse lawsuit on the eve of thescheduled start of trial.

Plaintiffattorney David Gierlach said his client, Elton Killion, will get$375,000 from the church to settle the lawsuit, in which Killioncontended that Andrew Mannetta, former pastor of St. Elizabeth Churchin 'Aiea, engaged in unwanted sexual misconduct toward him from 1997 or1998 until December 2001.

Killion, now 25 or 26, was a minor during part of that time.

Killionand the New York-based St. Mary Capuchin Order, which supervisedMannetta, reached an earlier out-of-court settlement, details of whichare protected under a confidentiality agreement, Gierlach said.

WilliamBordner, who represented the diocese, said he would reserve comment onthe settlement until today. The Rev. Marc Alexander, vicar general ofthe Honolulu diocese, could not be reached for comment last night.

The lawyers plan to file a motion today asking to have the lawsuit dismissed, Gierlach said.

"We'repleased that the church takes responsibility for the misconduct of oneof its own and we hope this is a new day in the Roman Catholic churchwhere sex-abusing priests are no longer tolerated by the institution,"Gierlach said.

Gierlach said the settlement will allow Killion to move on with his life.

Thelawsuit alleged that Mannetta engaged in misconduct toward Killion thatincluded unwanted kissing, getting him drunk and sexually assaultinghim. The complaint said Mannetta used his authority as a Roman Catholicpriest to facilitate his conduct.

Mannettacame to O'ahu from Guam in 1993 and became pastor of St. ElizabethChurch in July 1994. In August 1997, he resigned as pastor to begin hisown "preaching ministry," visiting various church parishes, a CatholicDiocese spokesman said earlier.

In October 2002, Mannetta was reassigned to a position in New York.

The Mannetta case was the latest legal settlement of a Hawai'i lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct by Catholic clergy.

InNovember 2005, Eugene Saulibio settled a lawsuit that accused the Rev.Joseph Bukoski III of sexually assaulting Saulibio when he was 15 yearsold. Bukoski was accused of providing Saulibio drugs and alcohol andmolesting him in the summer of 1976.

InJune and July 2004, Catholic Church officials in Hawai'i reachedsettlements in lawsuits against Manuel Feliciano, a sacristan whopleaded guilty to molesting a boy at Sts. Peter and Paul Church inHonolulu, and the Rev. Roberto de Otero, who was accused of molestingtwo boys in the rectory at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.