Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston hit with $10M lawsuit over alleged sex abuse by priest

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A lawsuit seeking $10 million has been filed on behalf of two parents who claim their daughter was sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is calling for immediate action by church officials.

“This lawsuit names the priest, it names Cardinal [Daniel] DiNardo, it names the Vatican and it names the Galveston-Houston diocese because they were the ones responsible for placing this priest in different places,” explained Eduardo Lopez de Casas with SNAP Houston.

The priest accused in the lawsuit is Father Phi Nguyen.

The mother of the alleged victim said it happened in November 2018 when her daughter was 10 years old. She said Nguyen inappropriately touched her daughter during a mock confession.

At the time, the girl was a student at Nazareth Academy in Victoria, Texas.

The lawsuit reads in part:

“Defendant Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, to include its predecessor, the Diocese of Galveston-Houston and Defendant Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo and his predecessor, Bishop Fiorenza negligently endorsed, selected, supervised and retained Reverend Phi Thanh Nguyen and assigned him to a position of trust, confidence, and authority in the Diocese of Victoria, including as a cleric and chaplain, and as a mentor, confessor and counselor in direct contact with children. Defendants Archdiocese and Cardinal DiNardo knew or should have known Father Phi was sexually dangerous to minors and grossly unsuited for such assignments.”

Eyewitness News reached out to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston about the lawsuit.