Archdiocese Gets More Time to Name Accused Priests

By Mily Gurnon
Pioneer Press
February 2, 2014

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_25061851/archdiocese-gets-more-time-name-accused-priests

A Ramsey County judge has given the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis an extension on its deadline to disclose the names of priests accused of child sexual abuse since 2004.

District Judge John Van de North had previously set Wednesday as the deadline.

The decision was filed in the case of John Doe 1, who claims he was sexually abused by former priest Thomas Adamson in 1976 and 1977 while Adamson served at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in St. Paul Park. The plaintiff was a teenage altar boy.

As part of that case, Van de North ordered the archdiocese, as well as the Diocese of Winona, to release names of "credibly accused" priests from a 2004 study. Those were disclosed in December.

He gave the archdiocese and diocese until Wednesday to release names of priests accused after that study was done.

But the defendants have since argued that they have not had enough opportunity to argue their positions on the matter.

Van de North wrote in a letter to attorneys Tuesday that he was extending the deadline. The topic will be discussed further at a Feb. 11 hearing in Ramsey County District Court.

Emily Gurnon can be reached at 651-228-5522. Follow her at twitter.com/emilygurnon.

Contact: egurnon@pioneerpress.com