bHistory of Fr. DeOreo’s Cancelation and

First Defamation Case Against Sam Berendes

In March 2022, Fr. James DeOreo was suspended from his priestly duties following an accusation made by a young man and his family.

The young man, Sam Berendes, alleged in January 2021 that he developed anorexia after Fr. DeOreo promoted the Exodus 90 Program at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Zionsville, IN. This program aims to deepen men’s connection with Christ through prayer and fasting and was endorsed parish-wide, not just by Fr. DeOreo. Interestingly, no other parishioners reported developing anorexia.

In 2020, the young man applied for seminary education but was advised against it by Diocesan representatives, disregarding Fr. DeOreo’s recommendation. Subsequently, Fr. DeOreo, along with most priests in the Diocese of Lafayette, was reassigned to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

The Exodus 90 Program (a national program that has resulted in many conversions for men) was promoted parish-wide at St. Alphonsus, not just by Fr. DeOreo.  The young man in 2020 applied for priestly ministry when he was nearing graduation from high school. According to legal documents filed in the case, despite Fr. DeOreo’s recommendation, Diocesan representatives determined that seminary would not be a prudent choice for the young man. Soon after, Fr. DeOreo (along with 95% of the priests in the Diocese of Lafayette) was reassigned to a new parish … Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

After the Diocese decision to decline accepting the young man into the seminary, in January 2021 (according to legal documents filed) the young man wrote a letter of complaint to the Lafayette Diocese alleging that Fr. DeOreo’s promotion of Exodus 90 was linked to the young man’s anorexia. The Diocese thoroughly investigated the matter and found the claim to be baseless and took no action. Despite this, the Lafayette Diocese continued to pay for the young man’s therapy.  After 9-10 months in therapy, in September/October 2021, the young man expanded his allegations after consultation with his therapist (and after what was later discovered as the Vicar General of the diocese being present for these therapy sessions).

You can read the entire legal document that Fr. DeOreo had originally filed asking the court for Declaratory Judgment to prevent any harm to himself that may be precipitated by the young man and his family’s actions.

In August 2022, a motion was made to unseal the case records, which was granted. Fr. DeOreo requested the basis for his suspension from the diocese, which was initially denied but later granted by the court.

Unfortunately the declaratory judgment route was not fruitful, so in September 2022, Fr. DeOreo filed a defamation lawsuit against the young man to clear his name after attempting to pursue all other routes to no avail. The case involved allegations of damages due to false accusations.

Fr. DeOreo’s attorney further requested documents and information that were the basis for the diocese decision to remove him from his priestly duties. The diocese claimed the documents and information that were used to reach their decision were protected, and therefore they refused to share it. The court ultimately granted release of those documents and relevant mental health professional records to the plaintiff’s counsel after judicial review.  Furthermore, in October 2023, the judge forced the disclosure of the terms of the settlement that the Lafayette of IN Diocese reached with Sam Berendes. 

In January 2024, CUP reported from a very close source that both the Bishop of Lafayette and Vicar General had been deposed in the ongoing Sam Berendes defamation case.  A trial at that point had been set for August 2024, but CUP heard from those close to the Church, the Bishop of Lafayette IN preferred for this to be promptly resolved as it was his preference to have Fr. DeOreo return to ministry. 

On February 8, CUP reported that the case involving Fr. DeOreo (plaintiff) vs. Sam Berendes (defendant) was settled. The settlement terms and the payment amount to Fr. DeOreo for the defamation and damages caused by the defendant remain confidential. Fr. DeOreo was very pleased with the settlement.
At that point CUP was told that Fr. DeOreo was coordinating with Bishop Doherty on returning him to active ministry.

Since the closure of the matter with the young man, Father DeOreo has attempted to get reinstated with the Diocese.  However, now Father DeOreo has been compelled to file a civil lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages against Fr. Theodore Dudzinski (Vicar General) and the Lafayette Diocese.  CUP sought a comment from Father DeOreo’s attorney who said they are disappointed that litigation is necessary.  He said “It is not what we wanted  This is the bishop’s choice.  We offered to enter a tolling agreement to preserve Fr. DeOreo’s claims while the diocese completed whatever additional actions they wanted to take to confirm that Father was falsely accused but the bishop refused.  This is sad.”