University of the West fires former Franciscan brother accused of sexual abuse

University of the West's campus

The University of the West, a Buddhist university located in Rosemead, CA, terminated its director of student life in early August. Thomas Thing is a 53-year-old former Franciscan brother who settled a case in 2011 with a Nevada man who accused him of molestation and abuse, which allegedly happened when the man was in the 7th grade. The plaintiff was awarded $ 600,000 in the settlement after suing Thing, The Franciscan Friars of California, and the Diocese of Las Vegas.)

While the university had not received any complaints during Thing's time there, they ultimately decided to terminate his employment.

For all details surrounding this story, read the original piece by Maritza Velazquez at the Pasadena Star-News website.

(Photo via Wikipedia by Geographer under a CC-BY license.)

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