Two Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Father Donald Rieder Filing Lawsuits against Diocese of St. Cloud
In 2003 Rieder Pled Guilty to Abusing a Young Girl in the 1990s Admitted to Abusing Others in his 40 Year Career as a Catholic Priest
One Survivor Whose Case was Settled Will Speak Publicly About Her Sexual Abuse by Rieder at Paynesville Church in the 1970s
(St. Paul, MN) – At a press conference today in St. Cloud, attorneys Jeff Anderson and Mike Bryant will:
- Announce the filing of two lawsuits on behalf of women abused as minors, identified as Does 65 and 67, naming the Diocese of St. Cloud and two individual parishes as defendants. The women were sexually abused by Rieder at St. James in Randall, Minn., and at St. Anne’s in Kimball, Minn., in the 1960s when they were ages 11-15. They are able to bring these lawsuits as a result of Minnesota’s Child Victims Act, which gives child abuse victims until May 25, 2016, to file civil lawsuits.
- Introduce another courageous survivor, who will speak publicly about her own abuse by Rieder, giving her name and the details of the case she settled with Diocese.
- Discuss the lawsuits, which name St. James and St. Anne’s, and the Diocese as defendants, and allege that Rieder’s abuse of Plaintiffs resulted from the Diocese’s and churches’ negligence and concealment of information about the danger of sexual abuse by Rieder and others in the Catholic Church. By refusing to publicly release information on abusers, the Diocese continues to put children at risk. The survivors and attorneys will urge the Diocese and Bishop to come clean and release the files of all offenders. The lawsuit seeks an order requiring the Diocese of St. Cloud to release this information to help keep children safe.
When
Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 1:00 PM (CDT)
Where
Stearns County Courthouse
725 Courthouse Square
St. Cloud, MN 56303
-30-