MINNESOTA
WDIO

In 2013, an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Doe 19, filed a lawsuit for sexual abuse by Father James Vincent Fitzgerald under the Minnesota Child Victims Act. Two weeks ago, Doe 19 reached a settlement with the Diocese of Crookston, Oblates of Mary Immaculate after claiming that said deceased Father Fitzgerald abused them back in 1984.

Fitzgerald was a priest of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate religious order who worked in the Diocese of Crookston. Attorney Mike Finnegan, who specializes in these kinds of cases, says at least 17 people have come forward saying they were abused by Father Fitzgerald as children.

In March, the Diocese of Crookston sought to dismiss Doe 19’s lawsuit from court, arguing that it was not liable for the actions of Fitzgerald. As part of Doe 19’s lawsuit, the Diocese of Crookston was forced to turn over hundreds of pages of…