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	Former Altar Boy Suing Archdiocese; Accuser Said He Was Molested by a Priest in the Mid-1960s By Emily Block Telegraph Herald [Dubuque IA] February 15, 2004 A former altar boy at St. Patrick's Church in Ryan, Iowa, is suing the Archdiocese of Dubuque, accusing a now deceased pastor of molesting him as a child. The victim, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said the Rev. Nicholas Cigrand, then assistant pastor at St. Patrick's Church, sexually molested him between August 1965 and August 1968 in the church rectory and school bathroom, according to court documents. The TH does not use the name of sexual assault victims without their consent. The case, which originated in Linn County District Court in Cedar Rapids, was moved Tuesday to Dubuque County District Court. The Archdiocese of Dubuque - and not Cigrand - is the defendant because the organization covers eastern Iowa, including St. Patrick's Church and St. John's Catholic School. Monsignor James Barta, vicar general for the archdiocese, said that he is familiar with the names involved in the case, but would not comment further. He instructed the TH to contact the attorney for the archdiocese, Brendan Quann. Quann did not return calls from the TH on Friday or Saturday. The last known assignment for Cigrand, who died Jan. 20, 1976, was at Immaculate Conception, in Lansing, Iowa, according to the archdiocese directory. The five counts against the archdiocese include: • Assault and battery by Cigrand. • Intentional infliction of emotional distress. • Negligence. • Negligent supervision. • Respondent superior. The victim demands judgment against the archdiocese in a "sum that will adequately compensate him for all his damages and for punitive damages, and the cost of this action," court documents stated.
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