Samide v. Roman Catholic Diocese

194 Misc. 2d 561, 754 N.Y.S.2d 164, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 3, 2003
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 194 Misc. 2d 561 (Samide v. Roman Catholic Diocese) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Samide v. Roman Catholic Diocese, 194 Misc. 2d 561, 754 N.Y.S.2d 164, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Duane A. Hart, J.

Plaintiff Barbara Samide commenced this action, inter alia, to recover damages for sex discrimination which allegedly [563]*563occurred during the course of her employment as principal of St. Elizabeth’s School, a Catholic elementary school located in Queens, New York.

This action was originally commenced on June 19, 2000. Thereafter, by notice of motion dated August 2, 2002, defendants Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn (Diocese), Bishop Thomas V. Daily and Monsignor James Spengler filed a preanswer motion to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against them. By notice of motion dated August 23, 2002, defendant Father John Thompson filed a preanswer motion to dismiss the complaint against him. Before the motions to dismiss were decided, the plaintiff served an amended complaint as of right, dated August 22, 2002 (see, CPLR 3211 [f|; see generally, STS Mgt. Dev. v New York State Dept. of Taxation & Fin., 254 AD2d 409). “When an amended complaint has been served, it supersedes the original complaint and becomes the only complaint in the case” (St. Lawrence Explosives Corp. v Law Bros. Contr. Corp., 170 AD2d 957, 957). Thus, the motions to dismiss and strike portions of the original complaint are rendered moot by the service of the amended complaint.

Background

The following facts are taken from the amended verified complaint, dated August 22, 2002:

Defendant Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is the governing organization of the Catholic Church in Brooklyn and Queens and operates the Catholic school systems in both boroughs through its Office of Superintendent of Schools. Defendant Bishop Thomas Daily (Bishop Daily) is the chief executive of the Brooklyn/Queens Diocese and the president of the Board of Trustees of defendant St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Daily appointed defendant Monsignor James Spengler (Monsignor Spengler) as the Episcopal Vicar of Queens South to serve as Bishop Daily’s representative to the Queens South area, which includes St. Elizabeth’s Parish and School. Bishop Daily also appointed defendant Father John Thompson (Father Thompson) as Pastor of St. Elizabeth’s Parish and School. Defendant Monsignor Otto Garcia (Monsignor Garcia) is the Vicar General of the Diocese. As such, he is the highest administrator in the Diocese and has executive power over the whole Diocese. Monsignor Garcia was appointed by Bishop Daily and serves at his pleasure. Monsignor Garcia is [564]*564also trustee of St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church. Defendant Anthony Danile (Danile) was, at all times relevant to this action, the District Superintendent for the Catholic schools in Queens South. Danile supervised the plaintiff. At all relevant times, Monsignor Spengler, Monsignor Garcia, Danile and Father Thompson were subordinates of Bishop Daily and he had the power to remove them.

In June 2000, Father Thompson hired the plaintiff as principal of St. Elizabeth’s School and was the plaintiff’s immediate supervisor. In or about September 2000, and continuing until his removal from the parish in March 2002, Father Thompson began to barrage the plaintiff with descriptions of his sexual exploits. The plaintiff informed Father Thompson that his conduct toward her was unwelcome but he did not relent.

In October 2000, Father Thompson told the plaintiff that in the late 1980’s, he had been accused of misconduct at another parish in Brooklyn, whereupon he was told by former Bishop Mugavero that he should “go away for a while.” Father Thompson took a leave of absence and taught for several years as Mr. Thompson at Monsignor McClancy High School in Queens. He was subsequently reinstated by Bishop Daily. The plaintiff alleges that since Father Thompson’s leave was occasioned by misconduct, the defendants had prior notice of Father Thompson’s behavior.

On or about October 24, 2000, the plaintiff was invited by Father Thompson to a Futures in Education Dinner in Manhattan as part of her employment. After the dinner, the plaintiff offered to drive Father Thompson home to the rectory. Father Thompson said he wasn’t going to the rectory but was staying in Manhattan overnight and could use a ride downtown. Father Thompson then directed the plaintiff to The Lure, a bar in Greenwich Village, which Thompson described as an “S&M” club. Father Thompson took off his collar and left with an overnight bag stating that it was “defenders night” at The Lure. Father Thompson later told the plaintiff that he was a member of “Defenders New York,” a Catholic gay leather organization that regularly met at The Lure.

Father Thompson insisted that the plaintiff accompany him to bars where he said he went for sex. In one instance, Father Thompson asked the plaintiff to accompany him to a bar under the premise of taking her to a business dinner. He told the plaintiff that he was free to engage in sex whenever he wanted because half the priests in the Diocese were doing the same thing.

[565]*565Father Thompson regularly talked about sex to the plaintiff. He told the plaintiff that he detested the female form and that the only thing that women were good for was oral sex. He talked about oral sex in the most vulgar manner and described the plaintiff as wanting it from him. The plaintiff repeatedly asked Father Thompson to stop talking to her of these matters, but he refused.

On another occasion, after Father Thompson brought a young man to live in the rectory of the parish, Father Thompson told the plaintiff that he was the young man’s “sugar daddy” and that the young man was his “houseboy,” whom he paid for sex. When the young man threatened to expose Father Thompson’s sexual activities to the Diocese, Father Thompson directed the plaintiff to pay the young man by check from school funds. Father Thompson threatened to fire the plaintiff if she did not comply.

Father Thompson also struck and physically abused the plaintiff on numerous occasions. This conduct continued with greater intensity after the plaintiff changed the lock on the closet door in her office to prevent Father Thompson from continually removing cash from the safe in the school office. Father Thompson repeatedly warned the plaintiff that he could fire her at any time and would make sure that she never got another job in the Diocese.

Throughout the subject period, the plaintiff repeatedly reported Thompson’s conduct to Monsignor Spengler, Danile and to the school’s Office of the Diocese. Monsignor Spengler made eight visits to St. Elizabeth’s School during the period in question and presented himself to the plaintiff as the person to whom she should direct her complaints about Father Thompson. The plaintiff called Monsignor Spengler at his rectory to request his assistance. Monsignor Spengler, Danile and others at the Diocese’s School’s Office admitted to the plaintiff that Father Thompson was a serious problem but told her to “stick it out.”

On November 19, 2001, an official from the Diocese told the plaintiff that Father Thompson “is so sick at this point that he is no longer responsible for his acts” but nothing was done to stop Father Thompson from harassing the plaintiff.

On December 6, 2001, the plaintiff asked a student’s parent why his child’s tuition had not been paid and the parent insisted that the money had been paid in cash to Father Thompson. That evening, Father Thompson went to the school’s office in a rage because the plaintiff had questioned the [566]

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Bluebook (online)
194 Misc. 2d 561, 754 N.Y.S.2d 164, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/samide-v-roman-catholic-diocese-nysupct-2003.