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Today a young survivor takes a courageous stand for herself and on behalf of other kids as she again confronts her abuser and holds him accountable in court. Jane Doe 134’s case, which was originally filed in Federal Court, was re-filed today in Minnesota State Court in Becker County in order to add a new defendant. Jane Doe 134 was 11 years old in 2007 when Gerald Derstine groomed and began to sexually abuse her when she was a camper at a retreat center in Northern Minnesota. Derstine continued to abuse her every summer in his office on the retreat property until 2009. The camp, Strawberry La...

When I first met Megan Peterson in 2007 she was a scared child on a path toward destruction. Life had left her so scarred that she couldn’t even meet my gaze. She was self-loathing and in a deep depression; she now admits that she had no intention of living. Recognizing the potential for further trauma to Megan if litigation ensued, we approached legal action cautiously.  We also knew it couldn’t get much worse for Megan, so with hope of a positive outcome, we filed a lawsuit using the pseudonym Jane Doe 121.

Ireland has been abuzz with news in the last few weeks. First, after sharply denouncing the Vatican’s response to clergy sexual abuse in Ireland, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny is now calling on the Vatican for money. In support of a compensation bill that would create a fund to compensate victims of child sexual abuse, many of whom were abused in Catholic schools or homes, Kenny is asking the Vatican to contribute close to $2 billion.