Brother Richard Lott
Diocese of Paterson/Benedictine Order
Ordained: 1963
Removed: Unknown
Assigned as follows:
- 1964-1966: Delbarton Boarding & Day School (Morristown, NJ)
- 1967-1986: St. Mary’s Abbey (Morristown, PA)
- 1987-2019: Unknown
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Brother Richard Lott:
According to media reports, in 2005, Br. Richard Lott, a Benedictine brother, was accused in a 2005 civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a student at Delbarton School in 1977, and of giving the boy alcohol and marijuana. The Order said it learned of accusations against Lott in 2004 and reported it to the police. The case was settled in 2006.
In March 2017, another former Delbarton student filed a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by Lott in January 1976. The man said he told Abbot Brian Clark of his abuse over a year after it occurred, and that Abbot Clark told him to keep it quiet; that Brother Lott would be “reined in.” Years later the man learned that a second student was abused by the monk not long after he spoke with the Abbot.
“I wanted to make sure they knew what happened so no one else would ever be abused. They lied to me,” the man said.
At least 13 other cases have been filed against the Benedictine order by 15 people who also allege they were abused by monks as children decades earlier when they attended Delbarton or a Catholic school in Linden run by the order.
“The plaintiff is a former Delbarton student who, like my other clients, is seeking both damages and accountability from an institution whom we contend was responsible for unspeakable acts against them,” the man’s lawyer said in a statement. “With regard to the previously filed cases, we are continuing to litigate them.”
No criminal charges were filed in these cases due to the statute of limitations.
In 2020, the Delbarton School was among the entities that challenged a New Jersey law that allowed lawsuits to be filed by victims of sexual abuse no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. The New Jersey Supreme Court upheld the law, allowing a lawsuit against the Benedictine Order, which named Lott as the abuser, to proceed.
Lott’s current whereabouts are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Paterson. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Paterson, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Paterson now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.