MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: CHAO XIONG , Star Tribune Updated: November 24, 2014

Former altar boy sued dioceses, order over priest’s alleged abuse.

Some church documents disclosed in a lawsuit alleging clergy sex abuse will remain confidential, a judge says.

The decision by Ramsey County District Judge John Guthmann, filed Friday, isn’t unusual in civil cases. But it illustrates the challenges to attorneys representing clients who allege they were abused by clergy.

Guthmann’s decision applies to a suit filed by “Doe 30” against the New Ulm and Duluth dioceses and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate religious order.

Doe 30, a former altar boy, alleges that the Rev. James Vincent Fitzgerald sexually abused him in 1976 when he was 13. Fitzgerald, who is dead, was employed by the three defendants named in the suit.

“While this case is in litigation, the substantial interests of the parties must be balanced…