A former student of the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas has filed a lawsuit against the institution claiming one of its priests sexually assaulted the student in the late 1970s, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The priest, Donald Dickerson, was one of 11 men who previously worked at the school, near the intersection of I-635 and the Dallas North Tollway, included on a list released in December of clergy members “credibly accused” of sexual assault.
The Dallas Morning News reported Dickerson was removed from the Jesuit order in 1986 and died in 2018.
Through the lawsuit, the 56-year-old unnamed former student is seeking damages in excess of $1 million.
The lawsuit claims that during the former student’s freshman year at Jesuit Dallas in 1978, the student expressed interest in becoming a priest, which Dickerson was in the final stages of doing, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Dickerson invited the student to his parents’ home in Alabama, where Dickerson provided the student with “a significant amount of alcohol” and raped the student when he was under the influence, according to the lawsuit.
The student did not return to Jesuit Dallas after the incident because his family moved, the Dallas Morning News reported.
In a written statement sent to the Dallas Morning News, Jesuit Dallas President Michael Earsing said: “We reported to the community in December that Don Dickerson was on a list released by the Jesuits’ Central and Southern Province against whom there were credible allegations of abuse of a minor.
“We continue to ask our community to provide compassion and support for all victims of sexual misconduct and abuse. I don’t believe it would be appropriate to discuss the specifics of this lawsuit.”
