At a news conference on Tuesday in St. Paul attorneys Jeff Anderson and Mike Bryant will announce the filing of a civil lawsuit naming the Diocese of St. Cloud,Father Antonio “Tony” Marfori and Cathedral High School as defendants. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Doe 75, who was sexually abused by Fr. Marfori when he was approximately 15 years old. Fr. Marfori was Doe 75’s religion teacher at Cathedral High School in St. Cloud.
News & Events
You may know of Ockham’s Razor, a principle developed by William of Ockham in the 14th century. He espoused simplicity of thought, that is, the simpler theory is more likely to be true. I take it as, “Ask the next, obvious, and simple question, and you will get to the truth.” The same goes for the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis. My experience has shown me that in order to get to the root of the problem of the crisis, the best question is the simplest and the most obvious. Why? Because it opens up the most complex web of secrets. For the sake of argument and example, let’s look…
New Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Filed Today Against Boy Scouts of America Under Child Victims Act St. Paul Scout Leader and Serial Offender Donald Keys Accused of Molesting Scout in 1969-70 (St. Paul, MN) – A civil lawsuit was filed today by a man who was sexually abused as a minor by Scout Leader Donald Leonard Keys in approximately 1969-70. The suit names Keys, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Northern Star Council, f/k/a Indianhead Council as defendants. Plaintiff Doe 71 brought his lawsuit…
(New Ulm, MN) – Tomorrow at 3:00 PM in Brown County District Court, the Diocese of New Ulm will ask the Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed on behalf of a sexual abuse survivor, Doe 7, who was sexually abused as a young girl by Fr. David Roney at St. Mary’s Church in Willmar, MN. The diocese continues to fight sexual abuse survivors and their advocates by keeping secret the full list of credibly accused clerics and the documents pertaining to the clerics and child sexual abuse by clergy. Until this information is released to the public, children remain at risk. In March 2015, the Dioces…
In recent days the Archbishop of Santiago Chile has refused to turn over documents to a Chilean civil court regarding Father Fernando Kardima’s sexual abuse of children. The Archbishop is attempting to invoke a doctrine of canonical or pontifical secrecy. By hiding behind the pontifical secret the Archbishop is clearing communicating that the reputation of the Hierarchy and individual clerics are more important than child safety.Pontifical secrecy in matters of child sexual abuse is an official policy of the Holy See. The reality is that the Archbishop is following the direct…
Mahnomen County District Court Judge Kurt J. Marben has ordered the Diocese of Crookston – a Defendant in the Doe 19 clergy sexual abuse lawsuit – to produce all records pertaining to sexual abuse reported to have been committed by any priest before 1985. The secret documents will be produced to Doe 19 under seal as a result of a protective order previously obtained by the Defendants in the lawsuit. The documents will provide a clearer picture of the Dioc…
The first civil trial regarding clergy sexual abuse of a minor under the Minnesota Child Victims Act will begin in the Doe 30 case on October 19, 2015, in Ramsey County District Court. The Diocese of Duluth is the defendant. An order issued by Ramsey County District Court Judge John Guthmann denied the Diocese of Duluth’s attempt to be dismissed as a party in the…
Judge Orders Diocese of Duluth to Produce All Recordson Child Sexual Abuse by Clergy from 1956-74 Judge Floerke’s Order in Doe 28 Case isBig Step Toward Diocese Accountability, Transparency (St. Paul, MN) – St. Louis County District Court Shaun R. Floerke has ordered the Diocese of Duluth, the Defendant in the Doe 28 clergy sexual abuse lawsuit, to produce all records pertaining to sexual abuse reported to have been committed by any priest from 1956 to 1974. The secret documents will be produced to Doe 28 under seal as a result of a protective order previously obtained by …
Two Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Father Donald Rieder Filing Lawsuits against Diocese of St. Cloud In 2003 Rieder Pled Guilty to Abusing a Young Girl in the 1990s Admitted to Abusing Others in his 40 Year Career as a Catholic Priest One Survivor Whose Case was Settled Will Speak Publicly About Her Sexual Abuse by Rieder at Paynesville Church in the 1970s
The settlement the Archdiocese reached with the Creditors’ Committee on July 17 incorporated a claims classification review process that was and is still ongoing. When the mediation settlement was reached, it included descriptions of different claims classifications for the various claims filed in the Chapter 11 proceeding. The settlement allowed for a protocol for the Committee and lawyers for individual claimants to review the initial classification of any…
Archdiocese fails to treat survivors fairly in long, drawn-out legal battle
(Milwaukee, WI) – Today the Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced a $21 million settlement to compensate clergy sexual abuse survivors. The settlement comes after four and a half years of drawn-out, painful legal battles resulting in millions of dollars in legal fees to bankruptcy attorneys. The Archdiocese objected to all 575 sexual abuse claims filed in bankruptcy court and attempted to have hundreds of the claims thrown out of court before the November, 2015, plan of reorganization hearing. As a result, the creditors’…
Accused Clergy Sexually Abused Children in Onamia,Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Diocese of St. CloudDoe 51 ComplaintDoe 56 Complaint (St. Paul, MN) – Civil lawsuits were filed today by two men who were sexually abused as minors by clergy at Crosier Seminary in Onamia, Minn. Doe 51 and Doe 56 were molested by multiple priests and brothers of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (“Crosier”) religious order. Several of the clergy named in the complaints also interacted with and sexually abused children throughout Minnesota, including at parishes and schools in the Archd…
Accused Clergy Sexually Abused Children in Onamia,
Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Diocese of St. Cloud
(St. Paul, MN) – Civil lawsuits were filed today by two men who were sexually abused as minors by clergy at Crosier Seminary in Onamia, Minn. Doe 51 and Doe 56 were molested by multiple priests and brothers of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (“Crosier”) religious order. Several of the clergy named in the complaints also interacted with and sexually abused children throughout Minnesota, including at parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapoli…