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Yesterday, a federal judge awarded money damages to a victim of child pornography using the federal anti-child pornography law named “Masha’s Law.”  In one of the first cases of its kind, a victim of sexual abuse and child pornography won a judgment for $240,000 against his former foster and adoptive parent, Gregg Alan Larsen, for injuries relating to child pornography produced when the victim was a child.

This morning we argued in front of the Minnesota Supreme Court on behalf of sexual abuse survivor Jim Keenan. Pictured above are the three co-counsels: Mike Finnegan on the left, myself, and Jeff Anderson on the right. The case, John Doe 76c v. Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Diocese of Winona, is on appeal over whether evidence about repressed memories can be used in court. The case was dismissed by the District Court last year when the Judge ruled that experts cannot testify about repressed memories.

“Listening sessions.”  That is what Bishop Robert Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph offered in response to a lawsuit revealing violation of federal child pornography laws for receiving and distributing child pornography that was created by one of the Diocese priests.