Cardinal George Pell sued by father of Australian choirboy over sexual assault claims

The claimant said he suffered ‘nervous shock’ after learning of the allegations a year after his son’s death

Cardinal George Pell arrives at the County Court in Melbourne, Australia, on 4 June 2021 (Andy Brownbill/AP)

The Catholic Church and Cardinal George Pell are being sued by the father of an Australian man that was allegedly sexually abused as a child.

In 2018, Cardinal Pell – who has always maintained his innocence – was convicted by jury of abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the mid-1990s.

He was the highest-ranking Catholic figure to receive such a conviction.

The convictions were later quashed by Australia’s top court – the High Court of Australia – after he argued that the jury’s verdict had relied too heavily on evidence from one of the choirboys and that other evidence had not been properly considered.

The seven judges unanimously ruled in his favour, saying that other testimonies had introduced “a reasonable possibility that the offending had not taken place”.

Cardinal Pell had spent more than a year in prison before an appeal allowed him to be released in 2020.

The father of one of the alleged victims has now lodged a civil claim against Cardinal Pell and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Lawyers said that the man is seeking an undisclosed sum of damages for the “nervous shock” he suffered after learning of the allegations a year after his son died.

Nervous shock is a legal term for a recognised mental disorder, injury or illness caused by the actions or omissions of another party.

The father also argues in his statement of claim that the Church had breached its duty of care and is therefore also liable to pay damages.

The identities of the father and his son, who died in 2014, cannot be revealed for legal reasons.

A hearing for the claim has been scheduled for August.

The Independent has contacted the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne for comment.