MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune
Updated: July 25, 2012
The ruling means a list of 46 priests accused of child abuse will remain under seal.
A man who alleges he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in the 1980s but didn’t remember until two decades later, may not present expert evidence about repressed memories, the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered Wednesday.
The 4-2 ruling throws out the long-battled case and means a list of 46 priests accused of abusing children will remain under seal.
The decision reverses a Court of Appeals ruling and dismisses a lawsuit brought six years ago by Jim Keenan, 45, against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona, alleging that the church allowed the abuse to occur and then covered it up. Although the ruling is narrow, its effect is wide, said Keenan’s attorney, Jeff Anderson.
“I’ve always been outraged by the Archdiocese’s decision to hide behind the statute of limitations, but in this case and the position they’ve taken on cases like it, they can use technicalities to avoid accountability,” he said. “As long as they do, they can be destined to repeat the same mistakes.”
Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath was not immediately available for comment.
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