The Bishop Hendricken Lawsuit: What's Been Filed So Far
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Three lawsuits naming Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick as a defendant have been filed in Rhode Island Superior Court since the state's abuse-claim window opened on July 1, 2026 — on July 1, August 26 and September 15, 2026, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary's public court portal (checked September 29, 2026). This page explains what the first lawsuit alleges, what the Attorney General's report says about a priest assigned to the school, and what the window's June 30, 2028 deadline means for other former students who are considering a claim.
Filing Deadline: June 30, 2028
Rhode Island's revival law, R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51(a)(3), lets survivors bring previously time-barred claims against institutions — including the Diocese of Providence and Bishop Hendricken High School — but only through June 30, 2028. After that date, a claim that isn't already timely under the regular rules is expected to close again.
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What the Lawsuit Alleges
Yes — three lawsuits in Rhode Island Superior Court name Bishop Hendricken High School as a defendant, filed on July 1, August 26 and September 15, 2026, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary's public court portal (checked September 29, 2026). Each also names the Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence, the legal entity of the Diocese of Providence. According to the Boston Globe, the suit was filed on July 1, 2026, the law's first day, against "the church and Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick." The plaintiff, now 59, says he was 15 when the abuse began and that it continued for his entire freshman year at the school. The priest he accuses is deceased and, according to the Globe, is on Attorney General Peter Neronha's list of "credibly accused" priests; we do not name him on this page — see our Rhode Island clergy abuse accused list. The suit alleges that the diocese and the school, which employed the priest, "failed to meaningfully address the systematic child sexual abuse by clergy members."
Bishop Hendricken High School is also named among the defendants in cases filed the same day by the law firm Decof, Mega & Quinn, according to the Providence Journal. The court portal lists one case naming the school filed on July 1, 2026; it also names the Dominican Fathers Province of St. Joseph, and we could not confirm from the portal alone that it is the case the Globe described. The two later cases were filed on August 26 and September 15, 2026; the September case also names the Christian Brothers of Ireland, Inc. and The Christian Brothers' Institute. Being named as a defendant is not a finding of liability; these are allegations that have not been tested at trial.
Case Details
This page relies on Rhode Island's 2026 revival statute, R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51(a)(3), signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026. Civil claims for more than $10,000 fall under the Superior Court's exclusive jurisdiction (§ 8-2-14); the wave of clergy-abuse filings that opened on the window's first day has been handled under the Superior Court's mass tort calendar, supervised under Administrative Order 2025-12. This is general information about Rhode Island law, not advice about any particular case.
Where the Hendricken Case Stands
The lawsuit described above was filed on July 1, 2026, according to the Boston Globe. The court portal lists all three cases naming the school in the Providence/Bristol County Superior Court, each still open and unassigned to a trial as of September 29, 2026; two carry the portal's “Clergy Abuse Case” flag. The Boston Globe reported that the diocese "did not immediately return a request for comment"; we could not find a public statement from Bishop Hendricken High School itself as of September 29, 2026.
The Attorney General's March 2026 report states that "accused clergy also served at the following schools in the state," and lists Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick among them. The priest's Bishop Hendricken assignment, according to the Attorney General's public list, ran from 1977 to 1982. The report also describes an allegation involving a Dominican friar assigned to Bishop Hendricken from 1977 to 1982 who reportedly "abused a boy three times during the summer of 1982" (the report names him; we do not). We could not confirm whether that account describes the same incident, or the same person bringing the July 2026 lawsuit.
How we counted: on September 29, 2026 we searched the Rhode Island Judiciary's public court portal for parties named “Bishop Hendricken” in Superior Court cases filed since July 1, 2026, and found three. The count covers state-court cases in which the school is a named party; it does not include federal lawsuits, cases that name only the diocese or a religious order, or claims that have not been filed. New cases can be filed until June 30, 2028, so the number may grow.
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Who the Window Covers at Bishop Hendricken
Rhode Island's window, open from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, revives claims against institutions — such as the Diocese of Providence and Bishop Hendricken High School — that allege negligent supervision, hiring, training, failure to report, or concealment of childhood sexual abuse. The statute's text sets no limit on how long ago the abuse happened and does not mention whether the accused must still be alive; no court has yet ruled on how the window applies. It does not require that a specific priest already appear on the Attorney General's list, though the priest named in the July 1, 2026 lawsuit does, according to the Boston Globe.
Separately, the regular filing deadline for any childhood sexual abuse claim — against an institution or an individual abuser — is 35 years from the survivor's 18th birthday (to age 53), or 7 years from when the survivor discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, that the injury was caused by the abuse, whichever is later. That ongoing deadline applies regardless of the window. For someone now older than 53 — the plaintiff in the Hendricken case is 59 — the 35-year period has run, so unless the 7-year discovery rule applies, the June 30, 2028 window is the deadline that matters. For the full set of deadlines, see our Rhode Island statute of limitations page; for the filing steps, see how to file a Rhode Island sexual abuse lawsuit.
Compensation: What Exists and What Doesn't
We could not find any settlement, compensation fund, or claim form connected to the Bishop Hendricken lawsuits. As of September 29, 2026, we could not confirm that the diocese or the school has reached any settlement, or that a court has ruled on this case. The Attorney General's March 2026 report recommended that the diocese "establish and fund an independent survivor compensation program," but we could not find that any such program has been created for this or other lawsuits filed since July 1, 2026.
What a claim connected to Bishop Hendricken may eventually be worth depends on facts specific to that case. Any figure quoted to you before a lawyer has reviewed your situation is a guess, not an appraisal.
Timeline
- 1
1977–1982 — A priest's assignment to Bishop Hendricken
The Attorney General's public list places a deceased, credibly accused priest's Bishop Hendricken assignment in these years. The Attorney General's March 2026 report also describes an account of a Dominican friar assigned to the school during the same period who reportedly "abused a boy three times during the summer of 1982" (the report names him; we do not).
- 2
March 4, 2026 — Attorney General's report
Attorney General Peter Neronha published a report stating that "accused clergy also served" at Bishop Hendricken High School, among other schools, as part of a wider investigation that identified 75 credibly accused clergy across the Diocese of Providence.
- 3
June 11, 2026 — Revival law signed
Governor Dan McKee signed the legislation reviving time-barred childhood sexual abuse claims against institutions, effective July 1, 2026, with a filing deadline of June 30, 2028.
- 4
July 1, 2026 — Lawsuit filed
On the window's first day, a lawsuit was filed against the diocese and Bishop Hendricken High School; the school was also named among the defendants in cases filed the same day by the law firm Decof, Mega & Quinn, according to the Providence Journal. The court portal lists one case naming the school filed that day.
- 5
August 26 and September 15, 2026 — Two more lawsuits
Two further lawsuits naming Bishop Hendricken High School and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence were filed in Providence/Bristol County Superior Court, bringing the total to three, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary's public court portal (checked September 29, 2026).
- 6
June 30, 2028 — Filing deadline
Rhode Island's revival window for institutional claims, including those against the Diocese of Providence and Bishop Hendricken High School, is scheduled to close on this date.
What Can Mislead Survivors
The confusion here is mostly about scale and confirmation rather than deliberate deception — but the effect on a survivor deciding whether to come forward can be the same.
"There's a settlement fund for Bishop Hendricken survivors"
We could not find any compensation fund or claim form tied to the July 2026 lawsuit or to Bishop Hendricken generally. A genuine claim in this litigation is a civil lawsuit filed by a licensed attorney in Rhode Island Superior Court, not a form you fill out online.
"The abuse has to be recent, or the priest has to still be alive"
Neither is true. The July 1, 2026 Hendricken lawsuit involves alleged abuse from decades ago by a priest who is now deceased. By its text, Rhode Island's revival statute sets no cut-off date for how old the underlying abuse can be and does not mention whether the accused must still be living; no court has ruled on this yet.
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Common Questions
Is there a lawsuit against Bishop Hendricken High School?
Yes. According to the Boston Globe, a lawsuit was filed on July 1, 2026 — the first day of Rhode Island's revival window — against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, alleging the diocese and school "failed to meaningfully address the systematic child sexual abuse by clergy members." Two more lawsuits naming the school followed on August 26 and September 15, 2026, for three in total in Rhode Island Superior Court as of September 29, 2026, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary's public court portal.
Who is accused in the Bishop Hendricken lawsuit?
The Boston Globe reports that the accused priest is deceased and appears on the Attorney General's list of credibly accused clergy. We do not name individual accused clergy on this page; you can check the public list on our Rhode Island clergy abuse accused list page.
Can a former Bishop Hendricken student sue over sexual abuse by a priest or staff member?
It depends on the facts, but Rhode Island's 2026 law makes that possible in cases that would otherwise be time-barred. Through June 30, 2028, R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51(a)(3) lets survivors sue institutions — including the diocese and the school — over negligent supervision, hiring, training, failure to report, or concealment of childhood sexual abuse, regardless of how long ago it happened. A separate, ongoing deadline (35 years from age 18, or 7 years from discovery, whichever is later) may also apply outside the window. This is general information, not an assessment of any individual's claim.
What is the deadline to file a claim connected to Bishop Hendricken?
For claims against the diocese or the school that would otherwise be time-barred, the deadline under the revival window is June 30, 2028. Outside the window, the regular deadline for any childhood sexual abuse claim is 35 years from the survivor's 18th birthday or 7 years from discovery of the injury, whichever is later.
Did the Attorney General's report name Bishop Hendricken?
Yes. The March 2026 report states that "accused clergy also served at the following schools in the state," including Bishop Hendricken High School, and describes a Dominican friar assigned to the school from 1977 to 1982 who reportedly abused a boy in the summer of 1982 (the report names him; we do not). We could not confirm whether that account is the same incident as the one described in the July 2026 lawsuit.
Has Bishop Hendricken High School responded to the lawsuit?
We could not find a public statement from the school as of September 29, 2026. The Boston Globe reported that the diocese "did not immediately return a request for comment" when the lawsuit was filed.
Was the 2025 Bishop Hendricken lawsuit a child sexual abuse case?
No. In 2025, a Kent County Superior Court jury rejected a former Bishop Hendricken teacher's whistle-blower and defamation claims against the school, the diocese and the school administration, and found that he had defamed three administrators; his website had accused them of covering up another teacher's alleged use of a classroom computer "to solicit sex with younger men." It did not involve child sexual abuse and is a separate case from the July 2026 lawsuit described on this page.
What if my case involves a different Rhode Island school or the diocese generally?
We cover the wider diocese-wide litigation on our Diocese of Providence lawsuit page, the Attorney General's full findings on our Attorney General report page, and Rhode Island's filing deadlines generally on our statute of limitations page.
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