Navy doctor wins default judgment in Del. against accused priest

WILMINGTON, Del. - A federal judge on Tuesday entered a default judgment against a priest accused of molesting a former Catholic school student.

U.S. District Court Judge Sue Robinson granted the judgment against the Rev. Edward J. Smith after he failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by Navy Commander Kenneth Whitwell.

Whitwell's attorney, Thomas Neuberger, said the judgment marks the first time that a priest has been found liable in Delaware for child sexual abuse.

Whitwell, 38, said he was grateful that he and his family will have the opportunity to tell a jury what happened to him.

"Finally, a victim in Delaware gets to have their day in court, and gets to tell their story publicly," said Whitwell, a Navy optometrist stationed at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. (Snip, more at link)

From another article, same case:"The allegation comes less than two years after the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington admitted to spending $1.6 million to settle sexual abuse lawsuits involving priests.

Mr. Whitwell’s attorney Thomas S. Neuberger called Father Smith a “renegade pedophile priest,” claiming that his religious order, the Norbertines, hid the priest in Maryland for two years after he allegedly molested a student at a Philadelphia high school in 1979.