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Wisconsin High Court: Diocese Had No Duty To Warn Teacher's Future Employers

By Howard M. Friedman

Hornback v. Archdiocese of Milwaukee, (WI Sup. Ct., July 16, 2008), was an appeal to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Diocese of Madison for their negligent failure to warn later employers of that teacher Gary Kazmarek had a propensity to sexually abuse children. Plaintiffs were abused by Kazmarek when he later taught at a Catholic school in Louisville (KY). Plaintiffs' case against the Milwaukee Archdiocese was the stronger of the two because the Archdiocese promised victims' parents that Kazmarek would be sent to treatment and not have future contact with children, and asked parents not to report Kazmarek to police.

The Supreme Court was evenly split as to the claim against the Milwaukee Archdiocese and affirmed the Court of Appeals dismissal of the complaint. As to the Diocese of Madison, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the dismissal of the complaint, writing a lengthy opinion. It said in part:

Reasonable and ordinary care does not require the Diocese to notify all potential subsequent employers within dioceses and parochial school systems across the country, along with all parents of future unforeseeable victims. Requiring such notification under these circumstances would create a vast obligation dramatically exceeding any approach to failure to warn recognized either in this state or in other jurisdictions....

[P]laintiffs in this case had virtually no relationship with the Diocese. There are
significant gaps temporally and geographically.... A decision to the contrary would create precedent suggesting that employers have an obligation to search out and disclose to all potential subsequent employers, which could include in an employment context every school in the country or beyond, all matters concerning an ex-employee's history.

Wednesday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the decision.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on July 18, 2008 (boomark / email).