TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 28, 2024

A lawsuit against the Diocese of Nashville, alleging that the institution knew of an employee's predatory behavior but failed to act, will proceed after a judge denied a motion for summary judgment, the Nashville Banner reports. The lawsuit claims the diocese was aware as early as 2008 that a religious studies director posed a risk to young girls. Despite this knowledge, the suit continues, the employee was allowed to continue working, eventually abusing a 13-year-old student. The plaintiff says she did not become aware of the connection between the abuse and her subsequent emotional distress until 2019. Under Tennessee law, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have three years from the moment they discover they were abused to take civil action. In May, the diocese filed a motion for summary judgment arguing the statute of limitations had run. The court found that a jury could reasonably find that the statute had not run out.