BishopAccountability.org
	Diocese Drops Request for Court Fees from Twin Cities Man By Sarah Elmquist Winona Post December 6, 2010 http://www.winonapost.com/stock/functions/VDG_Pub/detail.php?choice=39595&home_page=1 The state director of an advocacy group supporting those abused by members of the clergy visited Winona Thursday, taking aim at the Winona Diocese for seeking legal expenses related to a lawsuit from an alleged victim of former Winona diocesan priest Fr. Thomas Adamson. But by Friday, a statement issued by the Winona Diocese stated that it had stepped back from its suit requesting legal expenses. The Diocese issued a one sentence statement: “When the plaintiff filed for bankruptcy, all related actions were automatically stayed.” Both Minneapolis-St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt and Winona Bishop John Quinn were named in a civil case filed in 2006 by a Twin Cities man, Jim Kennan, who says he was repeatedly molested by Fr. Thomas Adamson. The civil case asked that the church publicly expose the names of child molesting archdiocesan clerics, but was tossed out last month because of the statute of limitations. Kennan filed an appeal, and both Bishop Quinn and Archbishop Nienstedt filed a request for Kennan to reimburse the church’s legal expense in defending itself to the tune of $132,000. Both the Minneapolis-St. Paul Diocese and the Winona Diocese have since pulled back on the requests for funds. Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) State Director Bob Schwiderski visited Winona Thursday, and condemned the action taken by both dioceses. He said that the request for court expenses was unprecedented and sent the wrong message to victims of sexual abuse by clergy members. The move, he said, was “cold-hearted, mean spirited,” and was ultimately about intimidating other victims. Schwiderski said he was a victim of sexual abuse by a priest beginning when he was a seven-year-old altar boy in the Twin Cities, and that both he and Kennan both seek to help other victims through their work. He urged members of the Winona community and Catholic Church to speak against the actions of the Diocese in requesting legal fees in the case. “Tell this Bishop to follow the Pope’s directive -- do whatever you can [to prevent and combat sexual abuse in the church],” he said. “Walk in the door and say Bishop, you are wrong.”
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.