APPLETON (WI)
Post-Crescent
Written by
Jim Collar
Post-Crescent staff writer
APPLETON — A psychologist hired by the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay said two brothers who were sexually assaulted by a priest in 1978 suffered only minor trauma as a result.
Attorneys for the church began calling their witnesses Thursday in the Outagamie County civil lawsuit alleging fraud against the diocese. Brothers Todd and Troy Merryfield say the diocese knew former priest John Feeney sexually assaulted others before 1978 and fraudulently misrepresented his safety when assigning him to Freedom’s St. Nicholas Church.
In their 2008 civil lawsuit, the Merryfields cite “profound psychological damage” as a result of the assaults.
Dr. Timothy Lynch, a Milwaukee psychologist, disagreed the abuse caused the brothers significant harm and spent more than two hours on the witness stand detailing his evaluations and findings.
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