Father John Joseph Daly
Diocese of San Diego
Ordained: 1951
Died: 1989
Assigned as follows:
- 1958-1961: St. Theresa’s (Palm Springs, CA)
- 1962-1968: St. Martins (La Mesa, CA)
- 1968-1969: St. John of the Cross (Lemon Grove, CA)
- 1970-1973: St. Augustine’s (Eagle Mountain, CA)
- 1974-1975: St. Joan of Arc (Blythe, CA; Palo Verde Junior College (Blythe, CA)
- 1976-1977: St. Joseph (Holtville, CA)
- 1978-1981: Immaculate Conception (Colton, CA)
- 1982-1985: Sacred Heart (Riverside, CA)
- 1986-1989: Holy Family (Hesperia, CA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father John Joseph Daly:
Father John Joseph Daly, a native of Ireland, was ordained a priest in 1951. He is believed to have worked in Australia until 1958, and was then transferred to the Diocese of San Diego. According to media reports, in 2002, Father Daly was named in a civil lawsuit for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy in 1977. The boy and his friend were picked up by Father Daly while hitchhiking. They accepted his offer of shelter at St. Joseph in Holtville, where the boy is said to have awakened in the night and discovered that Father Daly was orally copulating him.
The boys ran away and reported the incident to the police that same night. Father Daly was arrested, but charges were not filed because the Diocese of San Diego told the County District Attorney that he would be moved out of the area. Father Daly was sent to El Carmelo Retreat house for a month, and then transferred to San Bernardino, successfully avoiding prosecution. Police reports showed that he had two prior arrests for sexual molestation in La Mesa, California and San Antonio, Texas. The lawsuit was set for trial in March 2007, but was dismissed in January 2007. He retired in 1987 and died two years later in October 1989.
Father Daly’s name was not included in the Diocese of San Diego’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor released in March 2007. In October 2010, as part of a settlement with survivors of child sexual abuse, the Diocese of San Diego released his personnel file.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Diego 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 Diego now have legal options due to a temporary change in the law, 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.