Renny Martyn, a former contestant on the US reality show Big Brother, has testified in a federal bankruptcy court about being sexually abused as a child by a New Orleans priest. The 71-year-old spoke during proceedings related to the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans' bankruptcy, which stems from the financial fallout of a long-running clergy abuse scandal.
Martyn recounted that she was molested at age six by the late Reverend Hubert Broussard at St Mary Magdalen elementary school in Metairie, Louisiana. She said the priest lured her to a storeroom under the pretence of an eye exam before assaulting her. Martyn told the court she had been 'scarred emotionally, physically and psychologically for a lifetime'.
Broussard is not included on the archdiocese's list of about 80 credibly accused clergymen, despite being named in Martyn's claim. Her testimony was part of a trial over the fairness of a proposed $230m settlement for hundreds of abuse survivors.
Martyn, whose legal first name is Lorenza, competed in Big Brother's 10th season in 2008, finishing fifth. She was the oldest female contestant at the time. Outside court, she described speaking publicly as 'liberating', adding: 'I've held this in my whole life.'
