# New Orleans attorney fined $400,000 after exposing abusive priest says it was ‘worth it’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/new-orleans-attorney-fined-400000-after-exposing-abusive-priest-says-it-was-worth-it/
- Published: 2026-11-11T12:00:49+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T12:24:36+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/11/new-orleans-lawyer-abusive-priest
- Topics: Politics, World

## Key points

- The archdiocese added Paul Hart to its list of credibly accused clergy.
- Richard Trahant says the costly fight was worth it.
- Hart had served as a school chaplain after church leaders reviewed his case.

## Summary

New Orleans lawyer Richard Trahant says the more than $400,000 fine he incurred after helping expose priest Paul Hart’s past misconduct was “worth it”. The archdiocese added Hart to its list of clergy facing credible abuse claims on 6 November, years after his conduct and the decisions of church leaders were challenged.

Hart had admitted to church supervisors that he had sexual contact in the early 1990s with a 17-year-old he met through his ministry. An advisory board recommended removing him from public ministry, but Archbishop Gregory Aymond allowed him to continue and appointed him chaplain at Brother Martin school in 2017; Hart retired in January 2022. Trahant said the church’s classification vindicated those who spoke out, though he described the result as a costly “Pyrrhic victory”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.