MINNESOTA
Mankato Free Press
By Leah Buletti lbuletti@mankatofreepress.com
NEW ULM — After a lengthy legal battle, the Diocese of New Ulm and a St. Paul law firm have jointly released the names of 16 priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse while assigned as priests.
Of the 16 men, 13 are deceased and all but one — Cletus Altermatt — have been named in prior media reports.
The names were released at a news conference Tuesday morning held by the law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates, during which two victims shared their stories.
“In order for kids to be safe, the names of the credibly accused need to be out there,” attorney Mike Finnegan said after the conference.
The release of names is also important so survivors know it’s safe to come forward, Finnegan said. More priests are expected to be added to the list now that it’s public, something that has happened after other dioceses in the state have released lists.
The Diocese of New Ulm was the last one in the state to release its list of names.
For several years, attorney Jeff Anderson and his firm have been filing lawsuits in several Minnesota district courts, including in Brown County, on behalf of victims claiming they were sexually abused by priests. Many lawsuits included requests to have the lists released to the public and similar lists created by dioceses in Minneapolis and St. Paul, St. Cloud, Winona, Duluth and Crookston have been released either voluntarily or through court order.
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