A woman who says she joined St. John Paul II Parish in Sellersburg after fleeing to the area seeking asylum has filed a lawsuit accusing a former priest at the church, Father Ronald Mervil, of sexually assaulting her, and accusing the parish's head pastor of doing nothing when she tried to report it.
The lawsuit, filed June 10, 2026 in Marion County Superior Court, alleges Mervil forced the woman, identified as Jane Doe, to perform oral sex on him in August 2024, groped her, and demanded she hug him, according to a report from WAVE News. Doe says she met Mervil after joining the church following her move to the area seeking asylum, and that he later offered to help her find work. The suit claims Mervil invited her to Indianapolis in August 2024 for a job fair at another church, then took her to a family member's home in Greenwood afterward, where he attempted to kiss her — an advance she refused, the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, Mervil stopped in a Wendy's parking lot on the way home after leaving the Greenwood residence, and when he could not find another place to park, he drove through a surrounding neighborhood looking for somewhere to continue the assault. The suit further alleges that Mervil threatened to close Doe's asylum case and warned her to keep quiet about what happened.
Harassment Allegedly Continued After the Initial Incident
The lawsuit alleges Mervil's conduct didn't stop after the August 2024 encounter. In September 2024, he allegedly went to Doe's grocery-store job and, according to the suit, asked her whether she remembered what his genitals looked like compared to a vegetable. The complaint also states Mervil texted Doe demanding pictures of her.
The lawsuit alleges that Father Thomas Clegg, the parish's head pastor, did not act after Doe tried to report Mervil to him, and that Clegg did not do anything to protect her or conduct an investigation into her complaint. Doe says her complaint went nowhere. The lawsuit states that Clegg has said he never met Doe. Clegg has led St. John Paul II Parish since 2013, and steered an $8 million capital campaign that completed the parish's new church building in 2022, according to The Criterion. He was reappointed to a second six-year term at the parish in 2019, per the same publication. The supplied Archdiocese of Louisville page gives the history of a St. John Paul II parish in Louisville, Kentucky, as formed in 2015 through the merger of St. Barnabas and St. Pius parishes, and lists a registration figure of 636 and describes 3,147 parishioners there, according to the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Mervil's Path Through Two Archdiocese Assignments
Mervil is a Haitian priest who was serving in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, according to a statement from the archdiocese. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cap-Haïtien in Haiti before Archbishop Charles C. Thompson appointed him parochial vicar of St. John Paul II Parish effective August 6, 2022, per The Criterion. Mervil is listed at St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis.
The archdiocese says it was aware of the complaint filed against Mervil in Marion County Superior Court and removed him from ministry upon learning of the allegation. In its statement, the archdiocese said it is cooperating fully with civil authorities and reported the allegation to civil authorities, adding that it is committed to protecting vulnerable children and adults. The archdiocese maintains a Safe Parish safe-environment protocol that directs sexual misconduct complaints to a Victim Assistance Coordinator or a confidential EthicsPoint system, according to the archdiocese's own published guidance. The article does not specify whether archdiocesan policy requires immediate reporting of abuse allegations to civil law enforcement. The archdiocese also has a history of publicly disclosing misconduct findings — in October 2018, Archbishop Thompson published a list of 23 clergy members credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors or young adults dating back to the 1940s, as reported by WFYI.
Attorney Says Allegations Remain Unproven
Larry Wilder, Mervil's attorney, said a complaint contains allegations, not established facts. In a statement, Wilder said Mervil is entitled to a full and fair opportunity to respond to the claims in court and intends to defend his position through the appropriate legal process. His legal team said it will address the allegations through the judicial process rather than through the media.
The lawsuit's June 10, 2026 filing falls within the five-year statute of limitations that Indiana civil sexual-assault lawsuits typically have, according to Wagner Reese, LLP. Since the alleged incidents occurred in August 2024, the filing falls within that typical deadline. No trial date has been set in the case, which is proceeding in Marion County Superior Court, the court where the complaint was filed.
A deacon read a statement to the congregation before Sunday Mass, according to the report from WAVE News, though the dossier does not specify what the statement said. The case remains pending, with Mervil's attorney signaling that he plans to contest the allegations in court rather than through public comment.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)