AI-assisted summary

A former student, identified as T.M., alleges he was abused in the 1970s by Rev. Richard Lott, a Benedictine monk and teacher at the school.

The plaintiff's attorney argued that school leaders enabled a culture of abuse and silence to protect the institution's reputation.

The defense attorneys urged the jury to focus on a lack of concrete evidence and questioned the plaintiff's claims.

Lawyers for both sides gave their opening arguments Tuesday, Sept. 9 in the lawsuit against Delbarton , the all-boys Catholic school in Morristown, where several former students have come forward with accusations of sex abuse by clergy.

The landmark trial is significant as it's the first of hundreds of civil sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Church in New Jersey to go to tr

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