On January 19, 2023, James, Vernon & Weeks, P.A., together with our Denver co-counsel, Zaner Harden Law, filed a civil lawsuit in Denver District Court against the Denver Archdiocese on behalf of our client, Scott Verti, for the horrific sexual abuse he suffered while serving as an altar boy. Court papers say that Rev. Timothy Evans raped our client more than 100 times, from the ages 14-18 in 1999-2003, inside church offices at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Parish in Fort Collins, Colorado, and at Evans’ apartment.
In July 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the Colorado Board of Parole granted Evans parole, releasing him from prison five years early. Evans served 13 years of his 18-year sentence in prison for sexual assaults of minor victims. Scott Verti’s case was not one of the criminal cases for which Evans served prison time. Verti’s civil lawsuit is his only avenue for justice and is filed under Colorado’s “lookback window,” which allows child sex abuse victims to file civil cases against individuals and responsible institutions until Dec. 31, 2024. The law applies to incidents of child sexual abuse that occurred on or after Jan.1, 1960.
We are proud to represent Scott Verti, and we stand with him. Below are news stories, following today’s filing of his civil lawsuit.
Washington Times, “Victim sues Denver Catholic archdiocese, claims church knew convicted priest was abuser”
Associated Press, “Man sues Denver archdiocese over abuse by convicted priest” – (also Yahoo!, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Washington Post)
Colorado Public Radio, “Lawsuit filed against former Catholic priest and the Denver Archdiocese for child sex abuse”
Denver Post, “Denver man sues Catholic church, paroled ex-priest over alleged sexual abuse” (also The Fort Morgan Times)
The Coloradoan, “Lawsuit alleges Fort Collins priest Timothy Evans sexually abused another teen boy for years”
