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	Lawsuit Filed against Catholic Diocese of Helena By Mike Cronin KFBB September 22, 2011 http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/Lawsuit-Filed-Against-Catholic-Diocese-of-Helena-130317803.html [with video] On Tuesday, 34 men and women filed a civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena over acts of sexual abuse that took place from the 1960's-1980's. Attorney Tim Kosnoff from Seattle says the lawsuit aims to protect children from sexual abuse by the clergy. Kosnoff says, "This is real and it's on your doorstep and you're going to have to deal with it. And guess what. There's probably hundreds, perhaps even thousands more that are going to come forward." David Cotner from Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind Law Firm says, "Why we're here is bigger than a lawsuit. It's about the citizens of this state and our firm is proud to endorse this lawsuit because we believe in what it's trying to accomplish." The Society of Jesus from the Northwest Province paid $166 million this year to settle more than 500 sex abuse claims. Dana Short was involved in that case. She was 8 years old when she says she was abused by a priest in Missoula. "It's not right. No matter if it's the church or a parent or anybody who's abusing a child. It's wrong. It can't continue," she pleads. Upon initial reading of the complaint file, the Diocese of Helena says the claim deals with deceased defendants and none are named to be Helena priests. They also say they have a program to recognize and deal with abuse. Renee St. Martin Wizeman from the Diocese of Helena, says, "We want to be sure that no child is sexually or otherwise abused and we are at the forefront of that effort throughout society at this point in time because we have these comprehensive programs in place where people can discuss it, can learn how to recognize it, and how they address it." Attorney Kosnoff is hopeful discussions can start right away, while the diocese says they'll have further comment once they've extensively reviewed the complaint.
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