MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: June 24, 2014
Priest is among those identified as credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis took no action against the Rev. Jerome Kern when parents complained that he had sexually abused their sons, Kern said in a court deposition released Tuesday morning.
Kern is among more than 30 priests the archdiocese identified last December as being credibly accused of abusing minors. He has been sued several times, including last November as the scandal over the archdiocese’s handling of abuse claims was escalating.
The plaintiff, a man in his 50s who claims Kern abused him in the 1970s, is represented by the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates, which has sued the archdiocese multiple times since a change in state law allowed the filing of suits claiming decades-old abuse.
The St. Paul-based firm released the deposition Tuesday as part of a series of public releases of sworn statements in clergy abuse cases, including testimony by Archbishop John Nienstedt and former Archbishop Harry Flynn.
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