New Orleans Catholic high school agrees to second payout over child sexual abuse accusations

Jesuit High School in New Orleans has reached an out-of-court settlement for a second lawsuit alleging child molestation by a janitor decades ago. The agreement, reached ahead of a September trial, resolves claims by a plaintiff who identified himself as Jayson Doe. This case stems from the same clergy molestation scandal that led the Archdiocese of New Orleans to file for bankruptcy.

• Jesuit High School in New Orleans agreed to an out-of-court settlement for a second child molestation lawsuit.
• The lawsuit claimed a former janitor, Pete Modica, molested a student in 1978.
• This settlement follows a similar agreement in June involving the same janitor and another custodian.
• The cases are connected to a broader clergy abuse scandal that led the Archdiocese of New Orleans to file for bankruptcy in 2020.
• Jesuit High School has paid out at least nine settlements related to abuse allegations by Modica.
• Modica had previously pleaded guilty to molesting boys at a playground where he was employed.