Australian high court rules Catholic church not liable for child abuse by priest it didn’t directly employ

Church wins case reversing 2023 decision of Victorian court that it was vicariously responsible for abuse suffered by five-year-old at hands of assistant priest

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The Catholic church has won a landmark case limiting its liability for the abuse of children by priests not under its direct employment.

Last year, Victoria's highest court delivered an unprecedented ruling that the church was vicariously responsible for the abuse of a five-year-old child, known as DP, by assistant priest Father Bryan Coffey.

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