(St. Paul, MN) – Today, Judge John Van de North issued an order bifurcating the Doe 1 v. Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona civil lawsuit. The decision today to separately try the public nuisance claim before the negligence claim is a giant step forward for public safety and child protection. The trial for the public nuisance claim is scheduled to begin November 3, 2014, followed by the trial of the negligence claim on January 5, 2015. “The harm being done by the…
News & Events
Media AdvisorySeptember 11, 2014 Diocese of Duluth Seeks to Keep Clergy Abuse Documents and Officials’ Testimony Secret in Hearing Today (Duluth, MN) – Today, at 1:00 PM in St. Louis County District Court, the Diocese of Duluth will ask the Court to issue a protective order to keep confidential the files and documents pertaining to clergy accused of sexual misconduct in the Diocese. The Duluth Diocese released a list of 17 names of priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse in December 2013 and its request for a protective order demonstrates a step in the wrong direction.&…
Diocese of New Ulm Continues to Keep Secret the Identities of 12 Priests Accused of Child Sexual Abuse Survivors, advocates pursue transparency and disclosure
Sexual Assault Prevention Programming. For the first time, Minnesota has approved state funding for Sexual Assault prevention programming. As part of the Public Safety budget, $300,000 will be allotted to address risks, policies and practices with the goal of reducing the likelihood of sexual abuse.
As part of an ongoing civil lawsuit, the once-secret priest file of Richard Jeub was publicly released today. Throughout his 40+ years as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, several survivors, including adult women and children, have come forward alleging sexual abuse by Jeub. In late 1969, early 1970, Jeub and another child abuser, Father Jerome Kern, switched parishes. Kern left his assignment at St. Mark’s in St. Paul to become assistant pastor at Our Lady of Grace in Edina, while Jeub left his position at Our Lady of Grace, to work at St. Mark’s.
After hearing oral arguments from all parties on July 21, 2014, Ramsey County District Court Judge John Van de North issued an Order today denying the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona’s request to dismiss the public nuisance legal claim in the Doe 1 lawsuit.
The Court found, “Failing to disclose information about an accused priest is akin to, and conceivably more offensive and dangerous, than other acts that have been considered public nuisances . . . . [t]he Court need look no further than Fathers Adamson and Curtis Wehmeyer as unfortunate examples of the horren…
The secret priest file of Father Thomas Stitts was released today as part of a civil lawsuit filed in Ramsey County. Stitts was assigned to multiple parishes, abusing boys everywhere he worked. Eventually, Stitts admitted to having a sexual relationship with two boys.
Upon his death in 1985, Stitts wrote a letter outlining not only his own, but other priest’s sexual activities in the Archdiocese. The priests implicated in the letter begged the Archdiocese to keep the letter secret and eventually the letter was destroyed.
A summary of the Stitts documents, a timeline, and a summary of …
Father Kenneth LaVan, removed from ministry in December 2013, is a serial predator whom the Archdiocese continually disregarded as being a threat to women and children. Allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior were made in the 1980s and twice LaVan was sent for treatment. A lawsuit involving one of LaVan’s victims was settled in 1985 and by 1989 LaVan was diagnosed with a compulsive sexuality disorder. In 1995 the Clergy Review Board examined LaVan’s history and recommended he continue in ministry. Archbishop Flynn was informed in 2005 that LaVan was not part of the monitoring sys…
Father Francis Garvey Deposition: New Ulm Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse Identified
In a deposition taken on January 24, 2014 Father Francis Garvey identified Diocese of New Ulm priests accused of sexual misconduct. To-date, the Diocese of New Ulm refuses to publicly release its list of priests accused of sexual misconduct, or information about the priests.
Archbishop John Nienstedt served as Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm from 2001 to 2007 before his appointment as Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis. As Bishop of New Ulm, Nienstedt oversaw the Diocese of New Ulm’s compila…
Father Francis Garvey Deposition: New Ulm Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse Identified
In a deposition taken on January 24, 2014 Father Francis Garvey identified Diocese of New Ulm priests accused of sexual misconduct. To-date, the Diocese of New Ulm refuses to publicly release its list of priests accused of sexual misconduct, or information about the priests.
Archbishop John Nienstedt served as Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm from 2001 to 2007 before his appointment as Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis. As Bishop of New Ulm, Nienstedt oversaw the Diocese of New Ulm’
The priest file of former Archdiocesan priest Father Michael Kolar was made public due to a civil lawsuit filed in Ramsey County in 2013 by a survivor of Father Thomas Adamson. Doe 1 and his attorneys successfully sought and obtained the release of a list of credibly accused priests and their secret files from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona. Father Michael Kolar worked in the Archdiocese for decades and with the help of top Church officials, including now-Archbishop Robert Carlson and former Vicar General Kevin McDonough, Kolar was allowed to remain i…
(St. Paul, MN) – On Monday, July 21, 2014, at 1:30PM in Ramsey County District Court, Judge John Van de North will hear oral arguments pertaining to numerous legal issues in the Doe 1 vs. Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona civil lawsuit.One of the issues the Archdiocese and Diocese of Winona seek to dismiss is the public nuisance legal claim. The Archdiocese also contends it did not know of…
Attorneys for a sexual abuse survivor, Doe 1, filed and made public a sworn statement signed by former Chancellor of Canonical Affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, Jennifer Haselberger. The affidavit was filed in response to the Archdiocese’s attempt to throw Doe 1’s civil lawsuit out of court.Affidavit of Jennifer Haselberger
On May 6, 2014 Attorney Andrew Eisenzimmer gave sworn testimony under oath as part of a civil lawsuit involving a man, Doe 1, sexually abused as a child by former priest Thomas Adamson at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in St. Paul Park, Minnesota. Eisenzimmer has worked in various capacities for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for over 30 years and is currently a consultant. He worked as Chancellor for Civil Affairs from 2005-2012.
(St. Paul, MN) – Secret priest file documents produced under court order by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on former priest and accused child molester Joseph Wajda have been released publicly. The Archdiocese produced the documents as part of a civil lawsuit, Doe 1 vs. the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Diocese of Winona and Thomas Adamson. Adamson is a former priest who is alleged to have sexually abused Doe 1 in the 1970s.