A blistering report issued last week accuses the University of Notre Dame of failing to take action against a former priest despite years of alleged sexual misconduct against students while he was a dorm rector and while he worked at nearby Holy Cross College.
The investigation, which was led by the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton at Notre Dame’s request, found that Rev. Thomas King conducted a coercive “weighing scheme” at Notre Dame during the 1980s and 1990s. As part of the scheme, he expressed worry over the health of male students and insisted that they go to a locker room and undress to be weighed.
“Once in the locker room he would direct students to undress fully before they stepped onto a scale,” the report said. “Multiple individuals, some of whom were weighed, were sexually touched or assaulted by Fr. King, both at Notre Dame and after he left.”
The law firm’s 25-page report concluded that Notre Dame, one of the nation’s leading Catholic universities, should have done more to respond to allegations of sexual misconduct in the case of Father King. The report noted that witnesses said they had complained to university employees about him as far back as the 1990s.
The report also noted that these instances were not the first time that the university had to confront allegations of sexual abuse by priests, and listed two other instances when priests had been accused.
The law firm interviewed staff in two separate departments that supposedly received the complaints, but no one could remember having received them, the report said. In other cases, the report said, university employees who heard the complaints did not understand the sexual implications of the “weighing.”
The investigators also said they requested an interview with Father King through his attorney, but it was declined.
In 1997, Father King left Notre Dame for Holy Cross College, then a two-year institution that served as a feeder school to the larger university. He remained there for about 10 years, where he held sway over students because he was instrumental in recommending students for transfer to Notre Dame. The report said there were at least 15 cases of the “weighing scheme” across the two schools.
In addition to his time at Notre Dame and Holy Cross College, Father King served at parishes near Lakeville, Indiana, and Niles, Michigan. Following complaints there, he entered a senior home for priests in the Order of the Holy Cross, the report said. He could not be reached for comment.
The law firm said that during the course of its investigation, it was told of other priests who were accused of misconduct. Its report detailed claims against one of them, the Rev. David Porterfield, the rector at another Notre Dame dormitory, Sorin Hall.
Father Porterfield resigned in 1983 after Notre Dame learned of a complaint against him, but was later rehired, the report said. The investigators criticized the university for continuing to allow him access to the Notre Dame community in various capacities.
The report said Father Porterfield, who died last year, was rehired as an assistant rector at Grace Hall and assistant director of admissions.
Following another complaint against him, he entered an alcohol treatment program, but returned to the South Bend area, where he served in various capacities at parishes and, later, served as a substance abuse counselor.
The allegations against Father King, a former rector at Notre Dame’s Zahm Hall, came to light following complaints from a group of former students at Notre Dame and Holy Cross College, both located in South Bend, Ind.
One of the students, David Tybor, said in a telephone interview on Sunday that he remained dissatisfied with the report.
“I think the report raises as many questions as it answers,” said Dr. Tybor, a professor at Tufts University who received a degree from Notre Dame in 1998. “And I think this is not the first situation like this at Notre Dame. These are the same things they said 25 years ago in other situations where they said it’s never going to happen again.”
In a statement, the Rev. Robert A. Dowd, Notre Dame’s president, said the university was “deeply disturbed” by the findings, thanking those who had come forward to “share their painful stories.” Father Dowd said that Notre Dame had created a counseling support program for former students who were the victims of sexual abuse.
The university also said it was establishing a new process for promptly sharing information about reports about misconduct by priests, including those previously employed by the university.
Some complaints to the university had arrived following Father King’s departure.
Notre Dame had announced last year that it had requested the law firm’s report. The university has referred the allegations against Father King to state and local police in Indiana, the report said.
The findings come nearly 25 years after reports of widespread clergy sexual abuse first emerged in extensive reports by The Boston Globe. Hundreds of cases are still pending in courts in more than 20 states across the country.
Georgia Gee contributed research.
Stephanie Saul reports on colleges and universities, with a recent focus on the dramatic changes in college admissions and the debate around diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.
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