#USA #LA – In a case that highlighted tensions between court confidentiality and public safety, a federal bankruptcy judge sanctioned prominent clergy abuse attorney Richard Trahant more than $400,000 in 2022 after he alerted a Catholic high school to allegations involving its chaplain, a priest with a documented history of inappropriate conduct.
Trahant, who represented survivors of sexual abuse in lawsuits against the Archdiocese of New Orleans, discovered details about Rev. Paul Hart while reviewing confidential records produced during the archdiocese’s 2020 bankruptcy filing. Those records revealed that Hart had admitted to inappropriate sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl in the early 1990s and faced additional accusations, including a rape claim he denied and rumors of sexual harassment.
In late 2021, Trahant learned that Hart served as chaplain at Brother Martin High School, an all-boys institution. On New Year’s Eve, he texted the school’s principal, his cousin Ryan Gallagher, asking if Hart remained in the role. When Gallagher confirmed, Trahant arranged a call and warned him of a “credible allegation” from Hart’s past involving a minor, without sharing specifics due to a protective order. Trahant also contacted a journalist, advising him to keep Hart “on [his] radar.”
School officials soon met with then-Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who reportedly shared further details about the 2012 complaint against Hart. Hart retired shortly afterward amid the concerns. Brother Martin later informed parents of the removal over a “distant past” issue.
In January 2022, shortly after Rev. Paul Hart’s removal from Brother Martin High School, the Archdiocese filed a sealed motion with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill. The motion accused Trahant (and indirectly the Tort Claimants’ Committee he represented) of violating the court’s protective order by disclosing confidential information from bankruptcy discovery to Gallagher and a journalist.
The Archdiocese requested that the court compel an investigation into the leak’s source and hold an evidentiary hearing on potential sanctions. Judge Grabill responded by ordering the U.S. Trustee’s office to conduct a formal investigation, which ultimately led to her findings of a violation, Trahant’s removal of clients from the creditors’ committee, and the $400,000 sanctions order in October 2022 (primarily to cover investigation costs incurred by the Archdiocese and others).
Trahant maintained that he acted to protect students, arguing the archbishop and others had effectively waived confidentiality by discussing Hart’s history with the school. He contended the sanctions violated his due process rights, as he claimed he lacked proper notice and opportunity to be heard before key rulings.
The U.S. District Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the sanctions. By early 2026, Trahant petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review. Hart died of brain cancer in October 2022 at age 70.
The episode unfolded against the backdrop of the New Orleans archdiocese’s bankruptcy, triggered by hundreds of clergy abuse claims. Records later obtained by The Guardian through public channels in connection with another priest’s prosecution shed additional light on Hart’s background, including a church investigator’s notes and internal recommendations that Aymond had not fully followed.
Critics viewed the sanctions as punishment for whistleblowing that prioritized child safety over secrecy. Supporters of the ruling emphasized the need to uphold court orders in sensitive bankruptcy proceedings. Trahant described his actions simply: “I did what I had to do to keep a child predator away from children.”
Image: St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, the seat of the Archbishop of New Orleans.
