OGDENSBURG -- Attorneys from the law firms of Jeff Anderson & Associates and LaFave Wein & Frament have filed 20 child sexual abuse complaints under the New York Child Victims Act (CVA) against the Diocese of Ogdensburg.

Following the COVID-19 court closures, these cases were stuck in limbo as the limited CVA window for survivors of child sexual abuse continued to count down. The firms have now filed a total of 34 lawsuits against the Diocese, said a press release from the law firm.

Among the complaints are seven clerics who have been publicly identified for the first time. They include:

Monsignor F. Gordon Coseo, accused of sexually abusing a minor from approximately 1971 to 1976 at Notre Dame in Malone.

Father Joseph W. Elliott, accused of sexually abusing a minor from approximately 1985 to 1988 at St. Michael in Parishville, and St. Mary in Potsdam.

Monsignor John F. Pendergast, accused of sexually abusing a minor in approximately 1987 to 1989 at St. Mary in Massena.

Four complaints allege abuse by Father Emile G. LaLonde in the 1960s and 1970s when he was assigned to St. John the Baptist in Madrid, and St. Augustine in North Bangor. The firms have now filed a total of five cases implicating LaLonde.

Four complaints name Father John J. Fallon, who was criminally convicted in connection with receiving child pornography in the mail in 1986. The firms have now filed a total of five cases naming Fallon.

Two complaints allege abuse by Father Liam O’Doherty, who was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in 1979 for sexually abusing minors at St. Ann in Saint Regis Falls. One of the complaints filed today alleges abuse dating back to 1966, shortly after O’Doherty was ordained a priest. The firms have now filed a total of four complaints implicating O’Doherty. His whereabouts are unknown.

Despite Governor Cuomo’s executive order to extend the CVA deadline by five months and, more recently, New York legislators’ unanimous approval of a one-year extension it is best that survivors take action before the initial deadline of Aug. 13, to take full advantage of their rights under the CVA, the firm said.

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