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Photo: St. Joseph Cathedral; via Wikipedia.
The Kansas City Star reported earlier today that a new lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph alleges the church concealed sexual abuse that a plaintiff says occurred roughly fifty years ago at the hands of a former priest.
It is the latest in a series of legal actions claiming church officials knew about allegations but protected the institution rather than the children involved.
The lawsuit states that the abuse happened multiple times between 1976 and 1979 in several locations, including the child’s home, an abandoned warehouse and inside the church. According to the filing, the child’s mother reported the priest’s conduct to the Rev. James Hart, who allegedly responded that the church “was a family” and said “it would be taken care of.” The mother later took her concerns directly to the diocese after becoming “unsatisfied” with Hart’s response.
Court documents say the child also disclosed the abuse during two separate confessions to Hart and the Rev. Thomas Patrick Tobin. The suit argues that the diocese “knew or should have known that Tulipana was using his role at the Church to abuse children based on previous complaints yet continued to place Tulipana in positions of power and authority over children, holding him out as a person to whom parents and those responsible for children should entrust them.”
Former priest John Tulipana, who died in 2014, was barred from ministry in 1994 by Bishop Raymond Boland after earlier allegations surfaced. The church confirmed at the time that two complaints had been settled. More reports emerged in 2008, leading to a ten million dollar settlement involving forty seven individuals who accused twelve priests of sexual abuse. Tulipana faced another lawsuit in 2010 from an individual who alleged abuse during a youth retreat in the 1970s, and four more individuals sued him in 2014 with similar claims. Tulipana denied all allegations during his lifetime. He is listed among twenty four priests the diocese acknowledges as having credible accusations involving the sexual abuse of minors.
According to the new 2025 filing, the plaintiff continues to suffer emotional and physical harm resulting from the alleged abuse. The diocese has been notified of the suit and has initiated an internal process review, according to Ashlie Hand, communications director at the diocese. Hand stated, “The diocese takes all allegations of misconduct by church personnel very seriously and works to respond to survivors’ needs with urgency, respect and compassion.” Hand encouraged anyone with information about misconduct to contact law enforcement first and then the diocese’s confidential report line or email.
The plaintiff is suing on counts of intentional failure to supervise, intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium. A plaintiff’s attorney told The Star, “…our client is, like so many others, a survivor and seeks some degree of justice in the face of such a great and unthinkable betrayal and the harm it caused and still causes.”
