Ray Mouton, key figure in early days of clergy abuse crisis, dies at 78
February 06, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Ray Mouton, a key figure in the earliest days of revelations of clergy sex abuse in the United States, died on February 25 of cancer at the age of 78.
The Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, retained Mouton to represent the notorious Gilbert Gauthe, a priest convicted in 1985 for the sexual abuse of minors. Mouton later became a leading source for journalist Jason Berry’s 1992 book, Lead Us Not into Temptation. Mouton also coauthored a 1985 report to the US bishops warning of the financially catastrophic nature of the abuse scandal.
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