"He inspires fear in the church, hope for victims," "Taking On The Church," "Bishops accused of conspiracy in abuse," "Conspiracy Cloaked Sex Abuse, Suit Says"

Recent News

10/11/2006

All Catholic Bishops Across U.S. Named in Lawsuit Filed by Wisconsin Family

Darryl Q Tucker, The Saginaw News

MADISON, Wis. -- Bishop Robert J. Carlson, head of the Saginaw Catholic Diocese, is one of 178 bishops fighting a lawsuit the family of a Wisconsin man has filed.

Relatives of Dan O'Connell of Hudson wants Carlson and the other bishops to reveal the names of about "5,000 proven, admitted and credibly accused abusive priests in the U.S.," said attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minn.

The O'Connells aren't seek monetary damages.

"The suit names every bishop in the United States," said Carlson, 62, leader of the 130,000 Catholics in the Saginaw Diocese. "We have no connection with that case. However, we turned it over to our attorney. Since it's an active lawsuit, I can't comment on it."

O'Connell, who was a funeral home director in Hudson, which is about 20 miles east of St. Paul, investigated claims that the Rev. Ryan Erickson of the Diocese of Superior, Wis., had molested children, Anderson said. A further probe revealed that church officials knew of Erickson's behavior and ordained him anyway, he said.

In February 2002, Erickson walked into the funeral home and shot O'Connell, 37, in the head, killing him, Anderson said. O'Connell's co-worker, James Ellison, 22, walked in, and Erickson fatally shot him, he said.

Two years later, police suspected that Erickson committed the slayings, Anderson said. After detectives questioned Erickson about the deaths, he hanged himself inside his parish in December 2004, Anderson said.

"We want to get the church to not let the sins of the past repeat in the future," the attorney said. "We want them to come clean with the names so that other children are not at risk. They have the names and addresses of the offenders."

Darryl Q. Tucker covers courts for The Saginaw News. You may reach him at 776-9686.

Jeff Anderson & Associates, P.A.
366 Jackson Street, Suite 100
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-227-9990
Fax: 651-297-6543

Click here for other Current News

11/19/08

Searchable and Enhanced Archbishop Weakland Deposition

from Bishop Accountability

11/19/08
Archbishop Rembert Weaklands's Deposition Part 1 and Part 2
Exhibits Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

11/12/08
Portions of Archbishop Rembert Weakland's Deposition and Exhibits.

Video of Archbishop Rembert Weakland's Video Deposition.

11/12/08
Group outs top 10 priests accused of sex abuse
Three Catholic priests with ties to Maryland are among the nation's most dangerous sexual predators, according to a list released Tuesday by a group of clergy sex abuse victims demanding greater accountability from the Catholic Church.

11/07/08
Complaint filed Against Fr. John Powell

10/26/08
Convicted Catholic priest faces indefinite custody, Winnebago County jury to decide fate
A Winnebago County jury will decide next month whether a Catholic priest who sexually assaulted two boys in the 1980s meets the criteria to be classified as a sexually violent person and remain in custody indefinitely.

10/25/08
Jury convicts ex-Jesuit priest of sex abuse of 13-year-old boy
Donald McGuire sat hunched in his wheelchair in a federal courtroom Friday with his face locked in a frown, a shell of the charismatic priest who traveled the world to hold religious retreats and advise Mother Teresa.

10/23/08
Cardinal's dismaying lapse on sex offender
For several months, Cardinal Francis George appeared to have learned from his failures in dealing with the child sex abuse scandal afflicting the Archdiocese of Chicago.

9/25/08
Catholic order of nuns settles claim by three who say they were abused
An attorney for the Franciscan Sisters adamantly denied the allegations, saying that the $400,000 payment was agreed upon to avoid protracted litigation.

9/23/08
Lawsuit rejected in case of priest who killed two
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Carsten and Sally Ellison of Barron against the Catholic Diocese of Superior for the murder of their son by a priest was dismissed Tuesday afternoon in a summary judgment by Eau Claire County Judge Paul Lenz.

9/15/08
Archdioces may seek out priest's abuse victims
As an advocacy group blasted the church's handling of the allegations, an outreach effort was contemplated.

9/10/08
Archdiocese accused of helping sex abuser flee
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is accused of helping a priest flee to his native Ecuador after he was accused of molesting a child while working in Minnesota, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court.

9/10/08
Montero Press Conference

9/10/08
Suburban church is hit with abuse suit
A 46-year-old Streamwood man has accused his former priest of sexually abusing him more than 30 years ago and Greek Orthodox church officials of attempting to cover it up, according to a lawsuit that marks the fifth allegation against the defrocked priest

9/10/08
Complaint against Greek Orthodox Church and Fr. Nicholas Katinas

9/3/08
Family of Priest-Abuse Victim Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling
He is serving a 32-year prison sentence following his conviction for fondling David Schauer in 1988 when Schauer was only ten years old and a student at St. Peter & Paul Catholic School in Green Bay.

8/22/08
Exhibit A Non-Monetary Commitments by the Diocese

8/22/08
Bishop Signs Priest Abuse Settlement
A settlement is now official for 47 victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of their own priests

8/22/08
Mom wants cardinal to quit
Reading her Sun-Times last week, Diane Houston lingered over a prison photo of the Rev. Norbert Maday, his mug shot showing the convicted sex abuser with a black eye and a swollen lip.

8/19/08
Tentative settlement reached in KC priest abuse cases
The Catholic Diocese in Kansas City and more than 40 victims of clergy sexual abuse tentatively agreed late Tuesday to settle lawsuits against the church for about $10 million.

8/14/08
Last known contact info for offenders in Chicago Settlement

8/14/08
Victim, cop slam archdiocese's efforts to get priest out of prison early
A victim of sex-abusing priest Norbert Maday and the detective who helped put the clergyman behind bars said Wednesday they were appalled and disheartened by efforts by the Archdiocese of Chicago to spring Maday from prison.

8/13/08
Victim was 7 when abused by priest
Less than a year ago, Therese Albrecht wanted to kill herself.

8/13/08
Cardinal tried to spring sex abuser, then changed view
Cardinal Francis George acknowledged Tuesday that he and other Archdiocese of Chicago officials had worked to reduce the prison sentencef sex-abusing priest Norbert Maday, who is believed to have molested children dozens of times.

8/13/08
Cardinal lifts the veil on abuses
George announces $12.7 million payout to victims of priest attacks, discloses his sworn deposition and says: 'I have to accept the blame'

8/12/08
Archdiocese Announces $12.6M Sex Abuse Settlement
The Archdiocese of Chicago said Tuesday it will to pay more than $12.6 million to settle lawsuits by 16 victims of sexual abuse by priests

8/12/08
depo transcript of Cardinal George

8/12/08
Cardinal George Exhibits Part 1 of 2

8/12/08
Cardinal George Exhibits Part 2 of 2

7/30/08
Attorney Jeff Anderson Sues the Hell Out of Clerical Sex Abusers
St. Paul, MN: Attorney Jeff Anderson is a genuine firebrand. He has handled not hundreds, but thousands of cases on behalf of sexual abuse survivors across the US, and even outside the US over the last 25 years.

7/21/08
New Sex Abuse Lawsuit for Denver Archdiocese
Another man filed a lawsuit Monday against the Archdiocese of Denver alleging he was abused by a priest at a church in Loveland about 40 years ago.

7/3/2008
Former Somerset priest indicted
Cote faces sexual abuse charges in Maryland

7/2/2008
Denver Archdiocese to Pay $5.5 Million in Abuse Suits
After nearly three years of litigation, the Archdiocese of Denver said Tuesday that it would pay $5.5 million to settle more than a dozen lawsuits over sexual abuse by priests.

7/2/2008
Time line Regarding Harold White and the Archdiocese of Denver

7/2/2008
Denver settlement - all documents on White

7/2/2008
Archdiocese of Denver settlement - hot documents

7/2/2008
Denver Archdiocese Settles Priest Sex-abuse Lawsuits
The archdiocese of Denver has agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle 18 claims of sexual abuse against its priests in incidents that happened between 1954 and 1981.