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 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…

The sickening pattern is right there on our homepages and front pages almost every day: universities, schools, teams, and leagues have fostered the perfect conditions for numerous children to be abused.   We knew what it took for this to happen due to the massive example from the Catholic Church hierarchy’s misdeeds: (1) treat reports of child sex abuse as a nuisance, rather than a disaster; (2) let abusers have free rein within the system to get access to more children; and (3) vigorously, even ruthlessly, protect the organization’s “brand” and reputation.   Until recently…

Adults abused as children decades ago in New York could file civil lawsuits against their abusers and the institutions that employed them, if a national surge of legislative reform reaches Albany. Advocates for child sex abuse victims say that this year, the prospects look good for a bill that sank four times previously following strong opposition from Catholic and ultra-Orthodox groups. If passed, the legislation could ease the way for a slew of lawsuits against Jewish and Catholic institutions accused of failing to report accounts of child sex abuse to law enforcement authorities.“I’ve ne…

Pope Benedict XVI bears personal responsibility for not holding sexually abusive priests in the Catholic Church accountable, alleges the director of a new documentary, “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God.”