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	New Chapter Opened in Sex Abuse Claims By Rose French Star Tribune January 11, 2011 http://www.startribune.com/local/113319094.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_2yc:a_ncyD_MDCiU A man who alleges he was sexually abused by an Irish priest in Granite Falls, Minn., when he was 8 years old is suing Catholic dioceses in Minnesota and Ireland. It's the first lawsuit brought by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson in a new venture to take on clergy sex abuse cases in Europe. Anderson and Ann Olivarius, a London-based solicitor, held a news conference on Tuesday in London to announce the launch of a legal practice to advocate for victims of clergy abuse in the United Kingdom. Anderson, who for the past 27 years has taken on thousands of clergy sex abuse cases in the United States, said Olivarius approached him about a partnership. "It seemed we needed the same kind of pressure for justice and accountability on this side of the Atlantic," she said. On Monday, Anderson and Olivarius filed their first joint case in federal court in Minneapolis. Defendants listed are Irish priest Francis Markey, the Diocese of Clogher in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota and facilities in the United States and Europe where Markey received treatment. Markey is alleged to have molested children in Ireland and the United States. The suit claims the defendants tried to cover up Markey's abuse and did not prevent him from harming children. The Diocese of New Ulm said in a statement on Tuesday that it is reviewing the suit and the diocese has a "comprehensive safe environment program which educates clergy, teachers, parents and students, and helps them identify and prevent sexual misconduct." According to the suit, Markey was ordained a priest in 1952 and worked in the Diocese of Clogher. Between 1964 and 1974, he was suspended three times after being accused of sexually abusing children and was sent to treatment. Following treatment, he was able to resume his priestly duties. After being treated at a facility in New Mexico in 1981, Markey was assigned in 1982 to New Ulm. There he's accused of sexually abusing the plaintiff. He now resides in Nevada. The suit states Markey was the plaintiff's First Communion teacher and "engaged in unpermitted, harmful and offensive sexual contact" in and around the St. Andrew's parish in Granite Falls. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000, plus other costs. Last year, Markey was extradited from Indiana to Ireland to face charges in the rape of a 15-year-old boy in 1968. In recent years, Anderson has filed lawsuits against the Vatican, accusing Catholic leaders of fraud and not doing enough to stop clergy sex abuse in its ranks. Anderson said he still believes "all roads are leading to the Vatican." Rose French • 612-673-4352
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