Lawrence J. Baird
Ordained: 1969
In 2002, a woman settled a lawsuit against the Diocese of Orange regarding sexual abuse by Father John Lenihan for $1.2 million. Lenihan allegedly impregnated her when she was sixteen years old and then helped her abort the pregnancy. After she settled, she filed a criminal complaint against Lenihan. This complaint also alleged that Father Lawrence J. Baird, from whom she sought counsel after the abuse by Lenihan, kissed her in his office and attempted to make other sexual advances. Shortly after this complaint became public, a second woman alleged that Baird engaged in sexual misconduct with her.
