As portrayed in the 2016 Academy Award-winning movie "Spotlight"

As a result of his ground breaking legal work in the Father John J. Geoghan cases, Attorney Mitchell Garabedian was portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the 2016 Academy Award winning best picture “Spotlight." 

As portrayed in the 2005 Showtime film "Our Fathers"

The story of the investigation was presented in the 2005 television film starring Ted Danson as Mitchell Garabedian. The film highlighted Mitchell Garabedian’s historic struggle with Father John J. Geoghan and Cardinal Bernard Law, as well as their employers, the Archdiocese of Boston and the Catholic Church.The trailer is below.

It began in Boston with a desire to help people

Upon becoming an attorney in 1979, Mitchell Garabedian built a general practice around representing individuals.  It was not until the mid-1990s that the clergy sexual abuse crisis became the center of Mitchell Garabedian’s practice. While records now publicly available show Catholic clergy in Boston had for decades been sexually abusing children, this was a well-kept secret of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1994. In 1994 Mitchell Garabedian began to meet with parents, victims and survivors who as children had been sexually abused by Father John J. Geoghan. In 1996, Mitchell Garabedian filed suit against Father Geoghan, a foreshadowing of the massive litigation to follow naming hundreds of Catholic priests and dioceses throughout the United States and ultimately the world. Mitchell Garabedian has successfully represented more than 150 victims or survivors of Father John J. Geoghan.

Hidden secrets revealed

While Mitchell Garabedian learned of this history he was precluded from revealing the information by a court order the Boston Archdiocese obtained requiring Mitchell Garabedian and his clients not to reveal what they discovered prior to trial. The Boston Globe, with the support of Mitchell Garabedian’s clients, successfully petitioned the court to gain access to the secret documents Mitchell Garabedian had uncovered. When those documents were released to the Globe and published, for the first time the public saw that the Boston Archdiocese was knowingly reassigning an admitted pedophile priest to unsuspecting parishes. This watershed event revealed that the Catholic hierarchy, including Bernard Cardinal Law, was knowingly reassigning a priest who admitted to being a pedophile.

Litigation that followed revealed this was too often a common practice. Mitchell Garabedian continued to pressure the church. The book Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church, written by The Boston Globe investigative staff, puts in perspective the secrecy of the abuse scandal and Mitchell Garabedian’s efforts to expose it.  Cardinals, bishops, and other Church officials had been covering up for Geoghan for more than three decades.

A precedence-setting victory for sexual abuse victims

Before the verdict was issued, Mitchell Garabedian’s 86 clients and the Archdiocese entered into a $10 million settlement. This sum was one of the larger settled cases in the clergy sexual abuse crisis to that point and became a model for other settlements.

Victims and survivors continued to emerge from the secrecy of the clergy sexual abuse cases. In the fall of 2003, Mitchell Garabedian was  representing another 120 clients who claimed they had been sexually abused by priests who had worked in the Archdiocese of Boston.  The 120 victims and survivors in 2003 identified their sexual abusers as being more than 40 different priests.  Mitchell Garabedian, along with lawyers representing other victims and survivors of abuse, obtained an $85 million settlement with the Boston Archdiocese.

Continuing Success in Obtaining Settlements for Victims and Survivors

Mitchell Garabedian’s practice is not limited to victims or survivors of clergy sexual abuse. He represents victims and survivors of sexual abuse of all ages, including adults who were children when they were abused by teachers, coaches, priests, scout leaders, neighbors, relatives, or other adults who abused their trust or authority.

Hold sexual abusers, their supervisors, and the organizations they work for accountable

The attorneys of the Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian are sensitive to the horrible suffering experienced by sexual abuse victims and survivors. To try to heal, sexual abuse victims and survivors seek accountability and validation.

Be empowered; come forward; empower others; make the world a safer place for children; let us help you obtain justice

We represent thousands victims and survivors in Massachusetts, and across the United States with local counsel, as well as in other countries.

For a free consultation, call (888) 995-2214 or contact us online. You are not charged any fees unless we recover money for you.

As a result of his ground breaking legal work in the Father John J. Geoghan cases, Attorney Mitchell Garabedian was portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the 2016 Academy Award winning best picture “Spotlight.”  He worked closely with the Boston Globe's Spotlight team throughout the production.

The film follows The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, and its investigation into cases of widespread and systematic sexual abuse of Catholic priests in the Boston area, and the massive coverup that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked.  The issue was revealed to be far more widespread than they had first believed: senior members of the Boston Diocese were aware that they had abuse problem and the Church resisted its discovery and systematically covered up the evidence. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with Best Original Screenplay, from six total nominations. 

Information on the Spotlight Movie

The movie is still being viewed today. Clips are available on YouTube.

• Wikipedia Entry on the Spotlight Movie
• Plot Summary on IMDb
• Movie Clip: Six percent of All Priests might be abusers
  
• Movie Clip: Spotlight (2015) - Off the Record, It's All Public scene (embedded below)

Real Life "Spotlight" Lawyer Deluged with New Abuse Cases

Subsequent to the success and widespread praise of the performances of the cast and the historical accuracy of the film, many more sexual abuse victims of the Catholic Church, schools, and other organizations have come forward. The film validated that abuse victims were not alone and deserved justice.

Listen to a WBUR interview with Attorney Mitchell Garabedian on the response of victims and survivors to the movie.

Hold sexual abusers, their supervisors, and the organizations they work for accountable

The attorneys of the Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian are sensitive to the horrible suffering experienced by sexual abuse victims and survivors. To try to heal, sexual abuse victims and survivors seek accountability and validation.

Be empowered; come forward; empower others; make the world a safer place for children; let us help you obtain justice

We represent thousands of victims and survivors in Massachusetts, and across the United States with local counsel, as well as in other countries.

For a free consultation, call (888) 995-2214 or contact us online. You are not charged any fees unless we recover money for you.

Garabedian Law is located at:
100 STATE STREET, 6TH FLOOR
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02109

For a free consultation, call (888) 995-2214 or contact us online. You are not charged any fees unless we recover money for you.