Duluth Diocese Abuse Claims Mount Ahead of Wednesday Deadline

By Tom Olsen
Duluth News Tribune
May 23, 2016

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/4039157-duluth-diocese-abuse-claims-mount-ahead-wednesday-deadline

Claims are pouring in ahead of a Wednesday deadline for child sexual abuse victims to seek damages from the Diocese of Duluth.

As of Monday, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court was reporting that 112 confidential claims had been turned over to attorneys representing the diocese and the group of trustees advocating for its creditors in the bankruptcy proceedings.

As expected, that number was a significant jump from the 46 claims reported just a month ago, with many people apparently making the last-minute decision to file or lose their legal rights to seek damages in decades-old abuse cases.

"It'll be right up until the end," said Mike Finnegan, an attorney representing dozens of the claimants through St. Paul-based Jeff Anderson and Associates. "I think there's a lot of people out there that are trying to decide right now what to do and are struggling with it."

The Wednesday deadline was set by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel and matches the date imposed by the state Legislature in the Minnesota Child Victims Act. The legislation opened a three-year window for victims of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by statutes of limitation.