BishopAccountability.org
	Jury Rules against Davenport Diocese An Iowa Man Is Awarded $1.5 Million for Alleged Abuse in the '50s and '60s by a Priest, Who Died in 1981 By Shirley Ragsdale sragsdale@dmreg.com Des Moines Register [Davenport IA] September 19, 2006 http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20060919/LIFE05/609190383/1045 A Scott County jury on Monday awarded $1.5 million to a Davenport man who alleged he was sexually abused nearly 50 years ago by a high-ranking priest in the Davenport Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church. D. Michl Uhde, 56, said he hopes the verdict serves as inspiration for other victims to come forward and get the help they need. "I wish it hadn't come to this," Uhde said. "They came after him (Uhde) real hard during the trial," said Patrick Noaker, one of his attorneys. "With this verdict, the jury said there had been enough finger-pointing, that it was time for problem solving." The lawsuit was the first the diocese has taken to trial since the sex-abuse scandal broke open in the Catholic Church several years ago. Past claims against the diocese by 50 men have been settled out of court. The diocese has paid about $10 million in settlements, a factor its lawyers said forced the church to go to trial in the Uhde case, rather than seeking an out-of-court resolution. The diocese said it "is deeply saddened and disappointed with the finding of the jury." The diocese continued to maintain that it had no knowledge at the time of any abuse being perpetrated by Monsignor Thomas Feeney. Rand Wonio, diocesan attorney, said that the diocese's board of directors will now have to make some critical financial decisions. Before the trial, Bishop William Franklin said he could not settle the 15 or so remaining lawsuits against the diocese without selling significant assets. "The decision of the jury will impact every member of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Davenport," the church's statement said. "Bankruptcy must now also be considered," it added. Steve Theisen of Hudson, the Iowa director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement following the verdict: "We applaud Michl for his courage and the jury for its wisdom. We hope this verdict will encourage others who were hurt by clergy and are still suffering in shame, silence and self-blame to do what he did: find the strength to step forward, report the crime, and get help." In testimony last week, Uhde said that Feeney began to abuse him in 1957 when he was the youngest altar boy at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. He said the molestation, which included forced oral sex, did not end until he was 13, when his family sent him away to protect him from the priest. He claimed diocese officials knew about Feeney's sexual misconduct but did nothing to protect children. He maintained he was too mentally ill to assert his legal rights before 2005, when memories of the abuse returned. Feeney, who rose to the position of vicar general for the diocese, died in 1981. In closing arguments Friday, Wonio maintained Uhde exaggerated the alleged abuse.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.