Let Us Prey

"You'd think that Lenihan would be on their radar screen because of the prominence of my case," says Grant, now western regional director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). "But no one even bothered to tell me until 1999 about the new law or that Lenihan could now be prosecuted."

When she learned state legislators had abolished the statute of limitations on cases like hers, Grant asked Anaheim police to re-file charges, using evidence obtained in her 1991 settlement. Officers told Grant they lost the report long ago, along with all the evidence. Even after Grant handed over personal copies of Lenihan's confession, the Anaheim PD didn't forward their case to the DA's office until a year later. By then, it was too late.

"The DA's office rejected my case, saying they didn't get it in a timely manner," says Grant. "But with the type of access they have in the community, you'd think they would've been more aggressive. No. Something fell through the cracks again. It gets a little suspicious after a while."