MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: March 5, 2014
Archbishop John Nienstedt must testify under oath about the Archdiocese of St. Paul- Minneapolis’ response to child sex abuse charges against local priests, the state appeals court affirmed Wednesday.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals refused to consider an appeal by the archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona, which were court-ordered in February to make Nienstedt and former vicar general Kevin McDonough testify under oath about abuse complaints.
The action came in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by an alleged victim of former priest Tom Adamson. Ramsey District Judge John Van de North had ruled that Nienstedt and McDonough must provide sworn testimony on that case, as well as others.
It was the first time a Minnesota archbishop had been ordered to testify under oath about more than one abuser, the victim’s attorneys said, allowing for questions about multiple cases over time.
Church officials had argued that Van de North overstepped his authority in ordering the depositions, and in ordering the disclosure of the names of priests accused of sexual misconduct since 2004, regardless of whether the accusation was deemed “credible” by the church.
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