FARGO (ND)
The Associated Press
March 5, 2020
By Dave Kolpack
Three attorneys who conducted an investigation into clergy sex abuse said Wednesday the North Dakota Legislature should open up the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits and demanded that the state’s two Roman Catholic dioceses release more files on accused priests.
The Fargo and Bismarck dioceses in January released a list of 53 clergy members with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, but it did not include the assignment histories that were compiled and released Wednesday by attorneys Michael Bryant, Tatum O’Brien and Tim O’Keeffe. The lawyers said they hope their findings will help lay out timelines and encourage victims to come forward.
“I think that it’s really important for our victims to know and really important for the public to know where these priests were located at different times,” said O’Keeffe of Fargo. “Obviously it’s a very private issue for the victims. It’s a tough thing to talk about.”
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