October 27, 2005

Florida woman's sex-abuse suit against church dismissed

SIOUX FALLS (SD)
Tallahassee Democrat

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Florida woman who claimed she was molested by a Roman Catholic priest in the 1960s, but the parties disagree whether a settlement they reached in principle was ever finalized.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol signed a judgment of dismissal Monday in the case of Judy Glassman DeLonga against the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Rev. Bruce MacArthur.

A week earlier, Piersol received a motion and stipulation for judgment of dismissal electronically signed by the parties.

But Stephanie Pochop, an attorney representing DeLonga, said she never gave permission for anyone to sign her name to the document. She said she was still negotiating terms of the settlement agreement Wednesday.

"I had never authorized anyone to sign my name to a stipulation for dismissal," said Pochop. "And I wouldn't have done that until the entire matter was resolved."

Posted by kshaw at October 27, 2005 10:13 AM