Fr. Edward Ball – Diocese of San Bernardino

| Aug 20, 2020 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father Edward Ball

Diocese of San Bernardino/Sacred Heart

Ordained: 1966

Removed: 1992

Laicized: 2002

Died: 2016

Assignment History:

  • 1967: St. John the Baptist (Haycock Run, PA)
  • 1968: Sacred Heart Novitiate (Youngstown, OH)
  • 1969-1971: Sacred Heart Seminary (Center Valley, PA)
  • 1972-1979: S.C. Center (Shelby, OH)
  • 1980-1983: Unknown
  • 1984-1986: Priests of the Province serving elsewhere (Aurora, IL)
  • 1987-1989: Unknown
  • 1990-1993: Our Lady of Fatima (San Bernardino, CA)
  • 1994-2001: Missionaries of Sacred Heart (Aurora, IL)
  • 2003-2016: Unknown

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Edward Ball:

In 1992, Fr. Edward Ball was indicted on four counts of abuse of minors and removed from ministry. He pleaded guilty and no contest to two of the four counts and was sentenced to 9 months in jail and five years of probation.

In 1994, two boys filed another lawsuit against Ball, which was settled out of court. In court documents, the boys stated that they worked closely with Ball and often spent the night at his home. They said Ball gave them massages and tried to kiss them and fondle their genitals.

According to media reports, in 1999, Ball was charged again with 31 counts of sexual assault with alleged sexual abuse of two altar boys, aged 12 and 13, between 1982 and 1988 at Our Lady of Fatima in San Bernardino County. Ball pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years in prison. The two victims also filed a civil lawsuit against the Diocese of San Bernardino and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, which was settled by the Diocese and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 2003.

The alleged victims subsequently won a verdict against Ball. Ball was included in the Diocese of San Bernardino’s list of clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse.

Ball died in 2016. His status as a priest, whereabouts, and whether he had access to children from 2006 until his death in 2016 is unknown.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Bernardino in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of San Bernardino now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Diocese of San Bernardino, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.

Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.