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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — For 47 years, longtime NFL defensive tackle Joe Ehrmann kept secret the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. Just as he was coming to terms with what happened all those years ago, the plight of those like him became part of one of the biggest scandals in sports. “The Penn State issue re-traumatized me in a very profound way,” Ehrmann said Tuesday. “And it kind of blindsided me. I remember sending out a tweet one day that if you see any man dazed and confused, give them a hug because I think there was a re-traumatization around this country when that story broke.” “I admire,…

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new civil lawsuit accuses a former Damien Memorial School chaplain of sexually assaulting two former students in the early 1980’s. Father Gerald Funcheon worked at the school from 1982 to 1984. He is accused of molesting the alleged victims, identified as John Roe No. 9 and John Roe No. 10, multiple times. The plaintiffs’ lawyers are also representing another former student, Kory Oakland, who filed a sex abuse lawsuit last year. The attorneys released excerpts of Funcheon’s testimony filmed under oath in September 2012 for that case. Attorney Jeff Anderson asked h…

HIBBING — A former elementary school teacher currently residing in Hibbing has been summoned to St. Louis County Court to face charges of prostitution and possession of pornography, among others. Albert “Al” A. Gangl, 65, is expected to be charged with one felony count of prostitution, 16 felony counts of possession of child pornography, one felony count of use of a minor in a sexual performance (manufacturing pornography) and one gross misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor. The summons, which was filed Friday in Hibbing district court, compels Gangl to appear there at 8 a.m. Ap…

 ST. PAUL, Minn. — The child sexual abuse allegations involving a Shattuck-St. Mary’s teacher have become a focal point for state lawmakers backing a bill that would make it easier for victims of past abuse to file lawsuits against institutions that failed to protect them. Former teacher Lynn Seibel is in jail facing 14 felony counts for the alleged sexual abuse of six students at the Faribault boarding school from 1999 to 2003 and three related charges. The students are now adults, and state law prevents them from seeking civil damages against the school. Minnesota, like many states…

APPLETON — The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay agreed to pay $700,000 in settlement of a civil lawsuit brought by two brothers who were molested by the Rev. John Feeney in the 1970s. Outagamie County Judge Nancy Krueger dismissed the case on Monday, based on the agreement reached by the diocese and Todd and Troy Merryfield. The settlement matches the verdict reached at a trial last year. Krueger subsequently overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial after finding a member of the jury was biased. The case would have been re-tried in May. Green Bay Bishop David Ricken issued a statement Tu…

APPLETON — The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay agreed to pay $700,000 in settlement of a civil lawsuit brought by two brothers who were molested by the Rev. John Feeney in the 1970s.
Outagamie County Judge Nancy Krueger dismissed the case on Monday, based on the agreement reached by the diocese and Todd and Troy Merryfield. The settlement matches the verdict reached at a trial last year. Krueger subsequently overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial after finding a member of the jury was biased.
The case would have been re-tried in May.
Green Bay Bishop David Ricken issued a statement Tu…

It’s mind-numbing to hear that more than 65 percent of predators who have been identified as child sexual abusers were in positions of trust, such as coaches or clergy. It’s horrifying to hear football great Joe Ehrmann make that data real with his tale. Hundreds of leaders representing youth organizations, law enforcement groups and child protection advocates are gathering this week at Safe to Compete: Protecting Child Athletes from Sexual Abuse, a summit hosted by the Alexandria-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation. The group discussed…

The Catholic Diocese of Joliet will release as part of a lawsuit settlement more than 7,000 internal documents that reportedly show every bishop since the 1950s has been aware of diocese priests sexually abusing children.The documents include personnel files and other items related to 15 diocese priests accused of sexual abuse over a 50-year period ending in the 1990s. They will be released by plaintiff David Rudofski through his Chicago lawyer, Terrence Johnson, as part of his settlement with the diocese.Rudofski was 8 years old and making his first confession at St. Mary’s Church in Mokena w…

A top midstate legislator said Monday he will not support efforts to create a temporary “window” for victims of long-ago child sex abuse cases to bring new civil suits against their alleged abusers or the institutions that employed them.House Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Marsico’s statement, coming after closed-door party caucuses on two amendments to create the so-called window, immediately cast doubt on whether supporters can force their proposal through the General Assembly this session.A Republican from Lower Paxton Township, Marsico cited Constitutional concerns with revoking existing…