3 people file lawsuit against Cardinal Sean O’Malley claiming sex abuse at Arlington Catholic High

BOSTON — Three people have filed a lawsuit against Archdiocese of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and two Catholic bishops claiming they were sexually abused as teens by former Arlington Catholic High School vice principal Steven Biagioni.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented clergy sex abuse victims for decades, said a civil lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of the three alleged victims against O’Malley, Bishop Robert Deeley of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, and Bishop Peter Uglietto.

“The three victims allege that they were sexually abused by Steven Biagioni while Steven Biagioni was vice principal and administrator at Arlington Catholic High School,” Garabedian said in a statement.

The alleged sexual abuse took place at Arlington Catholic High School from approximately 2011 to 2016 when the alleged victims were approximately 15 to 17 years old, Garabedian said.

“Significantly, given that years of the alleged sexual abuse are recent, it is apparent that the Archdiocese of Boston and the Catholic Church are still allowing the sexual abuse of innocent children,” Garabedian said.

Terrence Donilon, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, said in an email on Tuesday, “We generally do not comment on active litigation.”

“That said, we understand that certain of the allegations in this lawsuit were brought to the attention of Arlington Catholic High School in 2016 and were reported to the appropriate law enforcement and child welfare authorities at that time as part of Arlington Catholic’s ongoing commitment to provide a safe environment for young people at the school,” Donilon said. “The administrator in question was subsequently removed from his position, and personnel from Arlington Catholic and the Archdiocese of Boston cooperated fully with the investigating authorities.”

Founded in 1960, Arlington Catholic High School, located in Arlington, currently has over 800 students in grades 9 through 12 representing more than 50 parishes in the archdiocese, according to the school’s website.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group