The Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking to recover more than $2.6 million in legal fees from the firm now known as OneBeacon Insurance Co.On the same day, OneBeacon asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley to lift the automatic stay imposed by the bankruptcy on all litigation involving the archdiocese so the Wisconsin Supreme Court can decide once and for all whether the insurer is liable for the church’s actions related to the sexual abuse of children.Archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski said it would oppose OneBeacon’s motion, saying “it d…
News & Events
Media AdvisoryJanuary 22, 2014Hearing Today Could Lead to Release of Secret Documents from the Diocese of Duluth (Duluth, MN) – Today at 1:30PM at a hearing in St. Louis County District Court, the Diocese of Duluth will request Judge David M. Johnson dismiss the public nuisance count in a sexual abuse case involving Father John Nicholson. Today’s hearing could lead to the release of secret documents that detail what the Diocese of Duluth bishops and officials knew about these priests, when they knew it, and what they did in response to the abuse reports will be released. Su…
A former Hakalau resident accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing five of his adopted sons has been located in Florida.Jay Ram was served with the lawsuit, filed in Honolulu Circuit Court in March, earlier this month after being tracked to the rural community of Odessa, outside Tampa, Fla., said Honolulu attorney Mark Gallagher, who is representing the plaintiffs. He had recently moved there from Saipan.Gallagher said Ram, now going by the name Jay Mizraha, is living with three other males, either teenagers or young men. The youngest is believed to be a teenager from Hilo, said Joelle Casteix…
A federal judge has approved a $16 million settlement brokered between sex-abuse victims and the New Rochelle-based Christian Brothers Institute.The settlement was first agreed to in May. Judge Robert Drain’s order on Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains means the settlement is now binding on all parties, including the Christian Brothers’ debtors, the group said in a statement.Abuse victims voted in recent weeks to unanimously approve the settlement, which was developed jointly by lawyers for the more than 400 victims, the Christian Brothers and the group’s debtors.“We apologize for…
Churchgoers emerged from Mass at Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday wary of an impending release — announced by church leaders here — of documents detailing the sexual abuse of children at the hands of priests, but optimistic that the Catholic church could finally move beyond the past.Cardinal Francis George, the head of Chicago’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese, penned a letter distributed Sunday at Masses across the city and suburbs announcing the release of the documents. “The church struggles with the past but it’s a way of providing some healing people need,” said Andy Luther, 33, of Villa Park…
Details of sexual abuse by priests, along with information about church officials who may have covered up the abuse, will be turned over next week to attorneys suing the Archdiocese of Chicago and will be made public shortly afterward.Cardinal Francis George announced the move in a letter to priests that will be printed in church bulletins this Sunday.The church files, sought for nearly seven years by plaintiffs’ attorneys, will be handed over Jan. 15 under terms of a court settlement. But they will not become public for at least another week in order to remove victims’ information, according …
Lawyers for a victim of clergy sexual abuse have asked Brown County Court Judge Robert Docherty to order the Diocese of New Ulm to release a list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.
News ReleaseJanuary 5, 2014Hearing Monday at 10 AM in New Ulm Regarding Release of Secret List of Priests with Credible Allegations of Sexual Abuse Diocese of New Ulm denying survivor’s request to make public its list of accused priests; is one of two MN dioceses yet to release listWhat: Hearing on release of Diocese of New Ulm priests listWhen: Monday, January 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.Where: Brown County Courthouse, 14 South State Street, New Ulm, MN 56073, before the Honorable Judge Robert A. Docherty.Tomorrow at 10 a.m. in a Brown County courtroom, a courage…
Sexual abuse survivor Robert Ethen and his attorneys, Jeff Anderson and Mike Bryant, are calling for Bishop Donald Kettler to release the list of 26 priests in the St. Cloud diocese accused of sexual abuse.
On Friday, January 3, 2014 at 11:00 AM Ramsey County District Court Judge John Van de North will hold a hearing to address his previous order that called for the public release the names of priests with allegations of abuse which became known to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona after 2004.
A Sartell man has asked a Stearns County court to order the Diocese of
Saint Cloud to release a list of 26 priests church officials say are
credibly accused of sexual abuse. Robert Ethen, 61, said he was abused in the mid-1960s by the Rev. James
Thoennes. Ethen said the abuse occurred when he was 13 years old, while
on an overnight trip with Thoennes to the home of the priest’s mother in
Sauk Centre.
The release of the list of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors is a good first step for the Diocese of Duluth.We applaud the courageous survivors, including Michael DeRoche, for standing up and seeking the release of this list.While we are encouraged by this first step, for there to be true transparency, the Diocese must also release the secret documents that it has on each priest on the list. These documents will show what…
The Duluth Diocese will release the names of its priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse Tuesday, a spokesman said today.The announcement comes several weeks after a lawsuit was filed in State
District Court seeking the release of information on 17 priests. The
suit, filed Dec. 9 on the behalf of an anonymous victim, claimed that
the diocese was negligent in allowing abuse to continue and has created a
nuisance by not releasing the names of accused priests.
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said he will most likely appeal the Superior Court’s reversal Thursday of the conviction of Monsignor William Lynn.”I am disappointed and strongly disagree with the court’s decision,” Williams said in a statement. “While we are deciding what our next course of action will be, we most likely will be appealing this decision.”
PHILADELPHIA — A Roman Catholic church official who has been jailed for more than a year for his handling of priest sex-abuse complaints had his landmark conviction reversed and was ordered released Thursday.