CLEVELAND — During our News 5 Investigation “Breaking Their Silence,” our reports focused on nuns physically abusing kids at the Parmadale home for children in Parma decades ago. Now, we have some of the most explosive allegations yet and they go beyond the brutal beatings.
New lawsuits filed today in Cuyahoga County Court claim multiple children were not only physically assaulted but sexually abused during their stay at Parmadale.
Tammie Mayle’s lawsuit names several entities like the Cleveland Catholic Diocese and the Sisters of Charity as defendants. She told us she was only 7 years old and a ward of the state when she went into Parmadale.
We want to warn you. What you’re about to read may be difficult for some to experience.
“What was it like living with this for decades?” we asked Mayle.
“It’s hard to trust people,” she replied with tears streaming down her face.
"FORCED SEXUAL INTERACTIONS" SAYS SUIT
Mayle was at Parmadale in the mid 1970s. Her lawsuit said she was “forced to have sexual interactions” with other residents of Parmadale “while employees of the defendants watched for their amusement.”
The suit stated “she was deprived of visitations if she did not follow the defendants' orders,” and they even “hid her mail from her to stop her from telling people about the abuse she was receiving.”
The suit claimed she was forced to go to a cottage where a priest named Father Leahy resided and that she was sexually assaulted “on more than one occasion.” It went on to say “these assaults were being watched by a group of men who Fr. Leahy invited.”
“This authority figure guided another child and myself to have sexual acts,” said Mayle in a recent interview. “In front of him and three or four other males.”
“To watch?” we asked.
“Yes,” she told us.
“How often do you think about that?” we asked.
“My whole life,” she said with more tears pouring out. “My entire life.”
LAWSUIT: "PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABUSE"
The suit said Mayle “experienced physical and mental abuse… specifically by Sister Myra Wasikowski,” and it states Mayle “was forced to shower under constant watch by the defendants.”
“To be beat (sic) by her when I walk back through the door and to be called horrible names,” said Mayle. “She said that I was filthy and I was dirty and I was unclean…and to go take a shower. She sent another girl to make sure I washed all of the area that I was supposed to wash.”
Both Fr. Leahy and Sister Myra have died.
In the lawsuit, it said Cuyahoga County and Children and Family Services should have known about the abuses, and they’re also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
RELATED: Payments from Parmadale — Reaction from some child abuse victims as more people step forward
Restitution for dozens of child abuse victims from a former home for kids in Parma is starting to arrive in mailboxes. We have reaction to the payments, reaction to the process and how some are taking their complaints to the next level. Watch more in the player below:
MORE LAWSUITS FILED TODAY
There were other lawsuits filed Tuesday concerning the treatment of children at Parmadale. This time it’s from a different era than Mayle. That era is when the nuns were not running the home, but hired staff members were in charge.
The women, including Mayle, are all represented by Cleveland attorney Bruce Taubman.
“When lots of people start to tell you the same story, you have to consider the fact that it happened,” Taubman told News 5.
We reached out to all of the defendants listed in the lawsuit. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine sent a statement that said, in part, that it “(encourages) any victims to come forward…”
You can read the full statement below:
"It is beyond distressing to learn of these individuals coming forward with additional allegations of abuse at the former Parmadale Children’s Village of St. Vincent de Paul. As we have said in the past, we encourage any victims to come forward to share their experiences. If we learn of accusations against a sister that have not been investigated, we will follow our process, including an interview with a victim assistance coordinator, the use of an independent investigator and the convening of a review panel commissioned with the development of recommendations to the Congregation.
As we have also said, we will not publicly discuss the details of our work with any individual who has come to us with reports that they suffered abuse at Parmadale involving a Sister from our congregation.
Because we understand that your news report will include allegations from the late 1990s and 2000s as well as allegations about priests, we do want to provide some important facts and context.
First, we can’t speak to or address allegations involving priests who may have been at Parmadale.
Second, according to our records, the Sisters of Charity had no affiliation with or did any work at Parmadale after August of 1990. As a result, the allegations about more recent conduct clearly do not involve the Sisters of Charity.
None of this, of course, diminishes the fact that these individuals say they were damaged by the abuse that they experienced. While we certainly hope and pray that they can find the healing they deserve, we can’t speak to these situations."
The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland said, in part, that it “takes allegations of such abuse very seriously.”
You can read the full statement below:
"The abuse of a child by those responsible for their care is a terrible sin, and the Diocese takes allegations of such abuse very seriously. Ms. Brown and Ms. Mayle both reached out in 2022 to report their experiences to the Victim Assistance Coordinator of the Diocese. The Diocese reported all allegations it received relating to Parmadale to civil authorities and offered counseling to anyone who reported having experienced abuse there. The priest reported by Ms. Mayle to have engaged in abuse died in 2005.
The Diocese of Cleveland is committed to creating a safe environment for children and fostering healing for those who have experienced abuse. Anyone with information or simply in need of help can reach the diocesan confidential response line by phone at 216-334-2999 or email to response_services@dioceseofcleveland.org."
So far, Cuyahoga County told us once it receives the suits they will be reviewed.
CLICK HERE to read more about News 5's investigation into Paradale.
