Suit alleging priest abuse ends in settlement

A $130,000 settlement ended a lawsuit alleging that a priest sexually abused a student at a St. Joseph Catholic high school.

The suit alleged that Father James Urbanic, a religion instructor at Bishop LeBlond High School in St. Joseph from 1971 to 1978, touched the plaintiff inappropriately during the mid-1970s. The plaintiff, identified as John Doe M.R., is now an adult and lives in another state, according to court records.

The petition, filed in 2012 in Buchanan County Circuit Court, also alleged that Urbanic’s superiors were warned of his behavior as early as 1975, but that no action was taken. The suit named the priest, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, a religious order with which Urbanic was affiliated. The defendants denied the allegations.

The case was scheduled for trial before Judge Randall Jackson on Jan. 6, but the parties reached a settlement and dismissed the case on Dec. 13.

Jack Smith, a spokesman for the diocese, and Stephen Torline, an attorney for Urbanic and the religious order, each confirmed that their clients paid $65,000. Neither offered any further comment.

Sarah Brown, an attorney for the plaintiff, couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

The case is John Doe M.R. v. Urbanic et al., 12BU-CV00521.