NEVADA/WISCONSIN
Post-Crescent
Written by
Jim Collar
Post-Crescent staff writer
A civil trial against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay is under way in Nevada in a lawsuit filed by a man who says he was molested by the same priest at the center of a similar Outagamie County case.
Jurors heard opening statements Thursday in Las Vegas in the case against the Green Bay diocese and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Las Vegas. The lawsuit claims the diocese knew the Rev. John Feeney had a history of sexual misconduct and falsely portrayed him as safe even though church officials knew he was a danger to children.
Feeney was convicted in Outagamie County in 2004 and sentenced to prison on four sexual assault counts. Feeney assaulted brothers Troy and Todd Merryfield, ages 12 and 14, in 1978. He was transferred from the Fox Valley to Las Vegas in 1984, court records say.
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