John Manly

Fifteen years ago, John Manly began a journey that has brought some measure of justice to individuals who were abused by clergy members as children. A top litigator in the field, he has won numerous multimillion-dollar awards for his clients. In 2007, a settlement with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles produced $660 million for approximately 500 victims. John Manly also settled for $50 million from the Society of Jesus for several hundred Alaska Natives and garnered a $150 million settlement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

A native Californian, John Manly credits his success representing victims of the clergy abuse crisis to his Catholic upbringing and his deep knowledge of the institutions that protect offenders. At one point, he considered becoming a priest. For those who suffer childhood sexual abuse, the cover-up exacerbates the original harm. John Manly has witnessed church hierarchy denying culpability and hiding assets. When John Manly sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, the diocese deposed the accusers, then filed for bankruptcy at the last minute before the trial. At the first hearing in bankruptcy court, it became clear the diocese had minimized its holdings. John Manly's familiarity with these tactics and situations allows him an unmatched level of expertise with these types of cases.

The nation's leading attorney in this field, John Manly currently represents hundreds of clients in the U.S., its territories, and in foreign countries. His role in the prosecution of priest Oliver O'Grady and his superiors who allowed the predator to keep abusing children received coverage in Deliver Us from Evil, an Academy Award-nominated documentary. John Manly has garnered other recognition for his achievements. Named the most "buzzworthy" attorney in Orange County by Orange Coast magazine and a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer by his peers, he also earned mention in the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of California's top 100 attorneys.

Admitted to the bars of California, Alaska, New York, and Arizona, John Manly has served as pro hac vice counsel in several other states, including Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania.