MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune
By Tom Olsen Today
Facing a nearly $5 million jury verdict and numerous pending lawsuits over child sexual abuse committed by priests, the Diocese of Duluth turned to bankruptcy protection Monday.
The Rev. James Bissonette, vicar general of the diocese, announced the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a statement on the diocese’s website.
A St. Paul jury last month found the diocese negligent in the supervision of a priest who was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in Itasca County in the 1970s. The diocese was ordered to pay about $4.9 million in damages awarded by the jury.
Five other child sexual abuse claims also are pending in State District Court, according to online records.
The claims all were brought under the Minnesota Child Victims Act, an act of the state Legislature which opened a three-year window for abuse victims to file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by statutes of limitation. The window is set to expire in May, and attorneys have said they expect a flurry of activity as the deadline nears.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.