Hagatna, Guam, Feb 16, 2018 / 00:29 am
A Guam court has dismissed part of a defamation lawsuit against Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agana, who is facing several accusations of sexual abuse in the 1970s.
The archbishop had publicly renounced the sexual abuse charges in a 2016 statement soon after the accusations were made, saying there were "intentional lies."
The archbishop's accusers brought a two-part defamation case against him shortly after his 2016 statement. Guam Pacific Daily News reported that the plaintiffs were seeking $500,000 each for a total $2 million in defamation charges.
In recent decision, Superior Court Judge Michael Bordallo dismissed the slander case but will allow the libel case to stand.