Sexual Abuse Survivors Settle with Los Angeles Archdiocese.
Archdiocese used therapy scam to defraud victims of civil rights;
Cardinal, Bishop thwarted police, helped criminal priest escape US
News & Events
The Los Angeles Archdiocese has settled what officials said is the last of its pending priest molestation lawsuits, bring to a close a decade of wrenching abuse litigation that cost the Catholic Church more than $740 million.The church reached the $13-million agreement with 17 victims last week, on the eve of a trial scheduled to begin Feb. 14 over the alleged acts of Father Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera, a visiting cleric from Mexico who police believe molested more than two dozen boys over nine months in 1987.Eleven men, who were ages 7 to 12 when they were allegedly abused by the priest, were sche…
With the arrest of Chaska’s World Learner’s School substitute teacher Matthew VanHecke in December, 2013 and his subsequent admission to “touching three juvenile girls” at the school where he worked in 2012 and 2013, it is imperative that lessons be learned from these horrific events.Schools and other institutions that provide services to children must understand that conducting a background check on a potential employee does not relieve them of their responsibilities associated with ensuring the safety of children under their care. According to officials from two of his employers, District…
Sexual Abuse Survivors Settle with Los Angeles Archdiocese. Archdiocese used therapy scam to defraud victims of civil rights; Cardinal, Bishop thwarted police, helped criminal priest escape
News ReleaseFebruary 16, 2014 Judge Denies Archdiocese’s and Diocese’s Motion to Stay Discovery and Depositions of Archbishop Nienstedt and Fr. Kevin McDonough (St. Paul, MN) – Ramsey County Judge John Van de North denied a request today from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona to stay discovery in a civil lawsuit and delay the release of names of priests who have been accused of sexual abuse since 2004. Also, the depositions of Archbishop John Nienstedt and former Vicar General Kevin McDonough will proceed in the civil lawsuit filed on beh…
Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com)– A lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Ramsay County against the Diocese of Duluth on behalf of a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest who had worked in the Diocese for more than two decades.The lawsuit claims the man was the victim of repeated sexual abuse in 1976 when he was 13 years old and serving as an altar boy.The claim says he was abused by Father Vincent Fitzgerald who has since died.The abuse is alleged to have started at St Thomas More, a parish in the Diocese of New Ulm, which is also named in the lawsuit.The lawsuit claims the sexual abuse continue…
At a press conference today in Duluth, a courageous sexual abuse survivor, Doe 30, and his attorneys, requested the Diocese of New Ulm to release its list of priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse. They also asked the Diocese of Duluth…
A Ramsey County judge ruled Tuesday that key leaders in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis will have to answer for their alleged actions for the first time ever, according to KSTP reporter Beth McDonough. Archbishop John Nienstedt and Father Kevin McDonough will have to go on the record and talk with investigators about how the church handled sex abuse allegations made against priests in local parishes. The transcript of the depositions of Archbishop Nienstedt and Father McDonough will be sealed. The judge also ruled the diocese must release the list of priests accus…
News ReleaseFebruary 11, 2014Hearing Today at 3:00PM Regarding Additional Names, Depositions andInformation on Credibly Accused Child Molesting Priests(St. Paul, MN) – On Tuesday, February 11, 2014, at 3:00PM in Ramsey County District Court, Judge John Van de North may decide whether documents and information and additional names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse will be released in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona. Van de North may also decide whether the depositions of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Father Kevin McDonough can be taken as pa…
Today the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Report to the Vatican confirms what we have known for decades, top officials in the Catholic Church:1) have not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed;2) have not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children; and3) have adopted policies and practices which have continued to put children in danger While this report made international news today, it is not news to us. Just in the last few months we’ve revealed extensive cover-up through the release of documents and lists of…
WASHINGTON – When the National Football League decides where to have the Super Bowl, it weighs everything from stadium seats to hotel rooms to transportation to security systems.Now, just as Minnesota is making its own bid for a Super Bowl, Sen. Amy Klobuchar wants the NFL to consider another selection element: local efforts to thwart the sex trafficking of minors that often accompany such major events.Making the fight against sex trafficking a specific consideration, if not a criterion, for picking a Super Bowl site is no modest proposal. In a recent meeting with senior NFL officials…
Media Advisory January 31, 2014Survivors and Attorneys Respond to Abbott Klassen and Bishop Kettler’s Meeting with St. Cloud Times Editorial BoardSt. Cloud Open Discussion Monday, February 3, 2014Deposition video and transcript to be released of Father Allen Tarlton What: At an open discussion on Monday, February 3, 2014 in St. Cloud, attorneys Jeff Anderson and Mike Bryant, former monk Patrick Wall, two survivors and a sexual abuse expert will: • Discuss the practices of the Diocese of St. Cloud and St. John’s Abbey in response to the open discussion that was …
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has asked a judge to block depositions of top officials by attorneys representing an alleged sexual abuse victim.A plaintiff identified as John Doe 1 sued the archdiocese, the Diocese of Winona and former priest Thomas Adamson in May 2013, alleging sexual abuse by Adamson between 1976 and 1977.Adamson was assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas church in St. Paul Park at the time.The plaintiff’s attorneys, Jeff Anderson and Michael Finnegan, told the court in a motion filed Tuesday that the archdiocese had refused to answer questions and provide documents…