Minn. Judge Denies Deadline Extension for Priest Abuse Victims

By Dave Aeikens and Tom Durian
KSTP
July 30, 2015

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3865730.shtml

A federal judge has denied a request to extend a deadline that allows people to file abuse claims against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis until Aug. 3.

The victims' lawyers wanted the deadline moved to May 2016 to match state law, which says parishes can still be sued until May. Attorney Rob Kugler said the notices sent by parishes about the deadline were "lukewarm and clouded."

The judge ruled that notice was "extensive and sufficient."

Lawyers for the parish committees said the request for a delay is "an attempt to have more time to persuade people to file claims."

The case is tied to the archdiocese's bankruptcy claim. Therefore the proceedings will follow federal bankruptcy law. More than 230 cases of priest abuse have been filed against the archdiocese and its 187 parishes.

The church argued that it needs the early deadline to hasten its reorganization.