MINNESOTA
The Raw Story
REUTERS
14 OCT 2014
A lawsuit that forced Roman Catholic officials in Minnesota to release decades of files on clergy accused of child sex abuse has been settled along with agreements on new child protection protocols, church officials and a victim’s attorney said Monday.
The lawsuit brought by a man identified as John Doe 1 accused the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona of creating a public nuisance by concealing information on sex abuse by clergy.
He accused a priest of sexually abusing him in the mid 1970s when he was a child and the archdiocese and diocese of failing to supervise the priest properly. Financial terms were not disclosed in the settlement that applies to both the archdiocese and diocese.
“The question of compensation and accountability for all the others who have been wounded is now going to be a work in progress,” said attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents numerous plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging clergy sex abuse.
Anderson said they would slow down the litigation process and engage in mediation and settlement.
Vicar General Charles Lachowitzer said during the joint news conference with Anderson that all financial options are on the table for the archdiocese.
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.