Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth settles priest sexual abuse lawsuit

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth has settled another lawsuit alleging abuse by a priest now serving prison time for raping a boy, church officials said. The plaintiff, whose name was not released, said he also was abused by the Rev. Thomas Teczar, who was a visiting priest in the Fort Worth diocese in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The diocese declined to disclose the settlement amount Friday. Last year in Eastland, Teczar was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child involving incidents with an 11-year-old boy in 1990. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. A few months later, the diocese reached an undisclosed settlement with three men who said they were raped by Teczar. In 2005, the diocese settled lawsuits for $4.15 million with two of Teczar's accusers, including one who filed the criminal complaint in Eastland, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of Fort Worth.