Lawsuit alleges sex abuse by ex-No. 2 at Legion of Christ

Associated Press
Michael Melia and Nicole Winfield
October 28, 2016

HARTFORD—A lawsuit filed in Connecticut alleges sexual abuse in the early 1990s by a former top official for the scandal-plagued Legion of Christ.

The accused priest served as second-in-command to the founder of the conservative religious order, who molested his seminarians.

The lawsuit was filed this week and is believed to include the first such accusation against the Rev. Luis Garza, who's now believed to be living in the Philippines.

A Legion of Christ spokesman said Friday that Garza denies the allegations. Spokesman Jim Fair says Garza said he "will cooperate fully in any inquiry regarding this matter."

The plaintiff's name hasn't been made public. The plaintiff alleges he was abused by Garza and two other priests at a Legion boarding school in Mexico when he was a teenager.