MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
By Jean Hopfensperger Star Tribune SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
Leaders of Twin Cities parishes identified in clergy sex abuse claims will be allowed to view the confidential abuse claims made by the alleged victims, a federal bankruptcy court judge ruled Thursday.
Attorneys for parishes had argued that key parish leaders needed access to claims involving their church in order to provide information to their insurance companies and to make informed financial decisions.
However, the more than 400 individuals who filed child abuse claims against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had been guaranteed strict confidentiality, argued victims’ lawyers, who said many still attend the church where the abuse occurred and could be identified.
Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel agreed, with some reservations, with parishes. The question for the court, he said, was: “How do we balance the needs of the parishes … and the privacy of claimants.”
Lawyers, now the main group authorized to view the claims, have private offices where documents can be kept securely, he said. Church leaders often do not.
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