sexual abuse

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Pope Leo Reaffirms That Priests Must Stay 'Chaste'

Pontiff also calls on bishops to take 'firm and decisive' action when dealing with sex abusers

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that priests should stay celibate and insisted that bishops take "firm and decisive" action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders Wednesday to the world's Catholic hierarchs. Leo offered his message during a meeting in St. Peter's Basilica with...

Witness: Diddy Ordered Me to Have Sex for 3.5 Days

'You treat me like an animal,' ex-girlfriend told music mogul

(Newser) - Retaking the stand in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-crimes and trafficking trial on Monday, an ex-girlfriend recalled telling the music mogul after years of abuse, "You treat me like an animal." One of four alleged victims at the center of the government's case against Diddy, the...

'Teacher of the Year' Charged With Teen-Involved Sex Crimes

Alleged incidents occurred off school property and did not involve her students, police say

(Newser) - An Alabama kindergarten "Teacher of the Year" is facing serious charges after authorities say she lured a teen into a bathroom for a sexual encounter outside school hours, per Fox News . Heather Ozment, who was recently honored by Calera Elementary School, faces charges including first- and second-degree sexual...

Diddy Protege: I Was Threatened Into Silence

'We could go missing' for speaking up, says Danity Kane's Dawn Richard

(Newser) - Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane, the pop group Sean 'Diddy' Combs formed on Making the Band 4, got to experience the music mogul when he wasn't in front of cameras, and what she saw was disturbing. As Richard resumed the stand in Combs' sex trafficking...

Payouts to Victims of Columbia OB-GYN Hit $1B

University, New York-Presbyterian to pay $750M to 576 victims of Robert Hadden in new deal

(Newser) - Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital will pay $750 million to more than 500 victims of the sexual abuser Robert Hadden. The former gynecologist was allowed to continue practicing at New York City hospitals including NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia's Irving Medical Center after victims went to police; the move brings the...

One of Jeffrey Epstein's Most Vocal Accusers Dies

Virginia Giuffre, who says she was trafficked to Prince Andrew, takes her own life at age 41

(Newser) - Just weeks ago, Virginia Giuffre, one of the most high-profile of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers, popped up on social media to announce she had just "days to live" following a car accident. On Friday, sobering news from her family: The 41-year-old has died after taking her own life, reports...

Ex-Lawmaker Who Went Abroad for Sex With Boys Gets 10 Years

Ex-ND state Sen. Ray Holmberg is sentenced for more than a dozen trips to Czech Republic

(Newser) - Ray Holmberg is headed to federal prison. The former North Dakota state senator has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct—specifically with underage boys, according to prosecutors. The North Dakota Monitor reports that the 81-year-old's...

Megachurch Founder Indicted on Child Sex Crimes Charges
Megachurch Founder
Turns Himself in
UPDATED
Mar 17, 2025 2:49 PM CDT

Megachurch Founder Turns Himself in

Ex-Gateway pastor Robert Morris faces child sex abuse charges

(Newser) - Texas megachurch founder Robert Preston Morris surrendered to authorities in Osage County, Oklahoma on child sex abuse charges Monday. Court records show that the 63-year-old, who has been charged with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, was ordered to surrender his passport, the AP reports. A...

Safety on Dating Apps: It's 'Going to Get Worse'

Critics say Match's platforms promise security for women, but that that's just 'safety theater'

(Newser) - Match Group has a problem: The parent of Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and other dating apps has abusive users it's known about for years but has kept under wraps. That's per the Guardian , which centers on Stephen Matthews, a doctor serving a 158-year prison sentence for sexually...

$5M Settlement Reached in NWSL Abuse Scandal

Players were 'forced to endure an unacceptable culture of abuse, harassment, and retaliation'

(Newser) - "For too long, the hardworking and talented women of the National Women's Soccer League were forced to endure an unacceptable culture of abuse, harassment, and retaliation," New York Attorney General Letitia James said Wednesday, announcing a $5 million settlement over the league's sexual abuse scandal. The...

Dark Horse Comics Drops Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Dropped by
Publisher
Jan 28, 2025 7:33 AM CST

Neil Gaiman Dropped by Publisher

Dark Horse Comics backs away amid sexual abuse allegations

(Newser) - One of Neil Gaiman's publishers has dropped him as the British author faces multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment. And his name is not on the website of the agency that has for years handled his speaking appearances. Dark Horse Comics announced it would no longer release its...

Founder of Site Used to Recruit Pelicot's Rapists Is Charged

Isaac Steidl accused of facilitating gang transactions on Coco.fr

(Newser) - The founder of the website Dominique Pelicot used to recruit dozens of men to rape his unconscious wife has been charged by French police. Isaac Steidl, a native of France who now has Italian citizenship, reported to Paris police on Tuesday morning for questioning about what authorities say are more...

Sam Altman: I Did Not Sexually Abuse My Sister

Ann Altman files suit against OpenAI CEO, accuses him of molestation starting when she was 3

(Newser) - "My sister has filed a lawsuit against me," Sam Altman posted on X over the weekend, and what he's being accused of in the complaint is shocking. CNN reports that Ann Altman filed her suit against the OpenAI CEO on Monday in federal court in Missouri, accusing...

Starmer Condemns 'Lies' by Musk About Sex Abuse Gangs

Billionaire has accused UK's prime minister of not acting to help young victims

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced Elon Musk on Monday for demanding he resign and accusing him of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" by not protecting young victims of sexual abuse gangs. Musk has been broadcasting the reporting of conservative news outlets on X with distortions and...

DOJ to Pay $116M to Victims of 'Rape Club'

100-plus current, ex-prisoners say they were abused, mistreated at women's federal prison

(Newser) - The US government will pay nearly $116 million to resolve lawsuits brought by more than 100 women who say they were abused or mistreated at a now-shuttered federal prison in California that was known as the "Rape Club" due to rampant sexual misconduct by the staff, reports the AP...

Crown Princess' Troubled Son Now Accused of Rape

This is just the latest arrest for Marius Borg Hoiby, stepson of Norway's heir to the throne

(Newser) - The eldest son of Norway's crown princess has been arrested on suspicion of rape. Authorities arrested Marius Borg Hoiby, the 27-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, on Monday evening, saying he violated a section of the penal code related to "sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or...

Ex-Boarding School Principal Charged With Sex Crimes

Lighthouse Christian Academy closed in March amid abuse allegations

(Newser) - A former principal at a Christian boarding school in Missouri that closed in March amid abuse allegations has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student. Craig Wesley Smith Jr. has been charged with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, court records show. He is accused of forcing a...

Church Reputation May Take Priority Over 'Survivor Support'

1st report from Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse criticized for lack of data

(Newser) - A decade after it formed, a Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse issued its first of what is to become an annual report on Tuesday and met immediate criticism, the New York Times reports. "I understand that it won't satisfy everybody and it won't satisfy survivors,"...

5 'Ring Boys' Say McMahon, WWE Allowed Sexual Abuse

WWE founder admitted Melvin Phillips Jr. had 'unnatural interest' in young boys, per suit

(Newser) - A WWE ring announcer sexually abused five boys whom he "lured" decades ago with the promise of meeting wrestling stars, according to a lawsuit, which claims the WWE and founder Vince McMahon were "fully aware" of the abuse and "did nothing to prevent or stop it."...

LA Archbishop: 'I Am Sorry for Every One of These Incidents'

Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay whopping $880M to victims of clergy sex abuse

(Newser) - The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades, in what an attorney said was the largest single settlement with a Catholic archdiocese over child sex abuse. After the Wednesday announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop Jose H....

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