Priest’s attorney condemns civil suit

Kim Smith

Thursday, April 25, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.

An attorney for a Henderson priest accused of sexually abusing six young parishioners believes none of the young men deserve to benefit from a civil lawsuit filed against the priest last month.

"The allegations against the church and its officers and Father Mark Roberts are atrociously scurrilous and blasphemous," wrote attorney George Foley Sr. in court documents filed earlier this week.

The young men who are suing Roberts should not be compensated as a result of their lawsuit and Roberts should be granted attorney's fees and other costs incurred as a result of defending himself, Foley wrote.

Foley's remarks are the first official comments made on behalf of Roberts, who was charged earlier this week with nine criminal counts pertaining to events that allegedly occurred over a five-year period at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church.

Foley and Al Massi, who represents the alleged victims in the civil case, could not be reached for comment this morning.

Roberts, 51, faces two counts of using a minor in the production of pornography, two counts of open and gross lewdness and five counts of child abuse or neglect.

Prosecutors allege Roberts befriended each of the young men, counseling them and earning their trust. He betrayed that trust, they say, by ordering the boys to take off their clothes and beat themselves as "penance" as he watched. The priest is accused of taking pictures of the young men so they could understand how it felt to be exploited.

He is also alleged to have given and received full body massages.

The six young men filed a lawsuit against Roberts on March 21. In the lawsuit, they also allege former Las Vegas Catholic Bishop Daniel Walsh, his successor Bishop Joseph Pepe and the Diocese of Las Vegas were negligent, because they knew or should have known about the abuse and stopped it.

Pepe suspended Roberts on Jan. 30.

None of the boys is identified in the lawsuit, and Foley in his response pointed out that Roberts does not know who the victims are.

"There is no claim ... to which the defendant could reply to by the lack of any names, date, times or places," Foley wrote.

Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell said he expects Foley to surrender Roberts to the Clark County Detention Center before Roberts' initial court appearance Tuesday.