More Sex Abuse Allegations Leveled At Delbarton School: Report

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — A former Delbarton student became the latest to sue the Catholic order that runs the Delbarton School, claiming three monks sexually abused him more than 150 times in the 1970s, according to northjersey.com. Plaintiff Rodney Baron claims he was punished for minor infractions that white students got away with, as he and his brother were the school's only Black students.

The lawsuit accuses three deceased monks of sexual abuse, according to northjersey.com. The Rev. Manus Duffy and Brother Jonathan Michael Hunt have not been publicly accused before, but the Rev. Bruno Ugliano — a former headmaster of the school in Morris Township — was the subject of a prior complaint.

St. Mary's Abbey and the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, which runs Delbarton, now faces 21 lawsuits, northjersey.com reports. All but one was filed after the state suspended the statute of limitations for civil sex-abuse complaints for two years, beginning December 2019.

A spokesperson for St. Mary's Abbey told Patch the following via email:

"St. Mary’s Abbey has always cooperated with local law enforcement on any matter that has been brought to its attention. We encourage anyone who has been abused to come forward at this time and file your claim so that the process can begin.

"Because this is a lengthy legal process, the Abbey will not comment on any claim brought forward and will wait for the prosecutor’s office to complete its investigation and issue its report. We understand how difficult this process is for any individual who makes a claim and will not compromise the integrity of the legal process until all the facts are evaluated. The complaints recently filed allegedly occurred more than 40 years ago, so time is essential for this process to be accurate and factual."

Although New Jersey temporarily suspended the statute of limitations in 2019, Delbarton's public troubles began years prior.

In 2012, Steve Badt became the sixth former student to join a civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse from the school. Badt said the abuse took place at the hands of a monk from 1979-85. Read more: Former Parsippany Resident Alleges Delbarton Abuse

The man alleged he was sexually abused by Timothy Brennan, who in 1987 was convicted of criminal sexual abuse of another Delbarton student.

But lawsuits escalated since 2019, when lawsuits accused 13 monks linked to the school of sexually assaulting 30 people from the 1960s to 1980s. Attorneys representing victims who say they were sexually abused filed six lawsuits in July against Delbarton School and St. Mary's Abbey and the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, which runs the school. Read more: 6 Lawsuits Allege Sexual Assault By Clerics At Delbarton School

Read the full story at northjersey.com.

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Morristown Patch Facebook page.