Former Delbarton teacher and priest at center of 10 sex abuse settlements dies in Missouri

Timothy Brennan, a former Delbarton School teacher and priest who has been the subject of at least 10 sex abuse settlements, died Wednesday at a Missouri treatment center for clerics, where he had been living for years, according to authorities.

Police responded to a call Wednesday morning about a "deceased person" at the center, which is in the community of Dittmer in the eastern part of the state, said Capt. Charles Subke of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

Brennan, 79, died of "natural causes," he said.

The priest was sentenced to probation in 1987 after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual contact with a 15-year-old Delbarton student. St. Mary's Abbey and the Order of St. Benedict in New Jersey, which runs the Morris Township school, paid more than $1 million to settle a claim by the student's family.

Over the past few years, the order has settled nine lawsuits related to additional claims against Brennan, according to court records. Details of the settlements have not been disclosed.

The order issued a brief statement Thursday saying it "can confirm that Father Timothy has passed away."

Brennan had been living at a center run by a group called Recon, which said in its tax returns that it provides "counseling to clergy." 

Six of the claims against Brennan were brought by former students of the now-defunct St. Elizabeth of Hungary School in Linden, which was run by the order. The rest were accusations related to Brennan's time at Delbarton.

Greg Gianforcaro, the attorney who brought the recent suits, said he is planning to file more than a dozen sex abuse lawsuits related to monks of the order under a new state law that makes it easier to file such cases. He said "more than a half-dozen" of those claims are related to Brennan.

"Obviously I'm sorry to hear that he died," Gianforcaro said. "That does not change all of the horrific abuse that he perpetrated throughout his life. ... There are a lot of victims and survivors of abuse who have suffered and will continue to suffer because of what he did to them."

The attorney added that he was "grateful" that he had a chance to take statements from Brennan in depositions related to the settled lawsuits.

Abbott Koloff is an investigative reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to his watchdog work that safeguards our communities and democracy, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: koloff@northjersey.com Twitter: @abbottkoloff 

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