Church ‘public nuisance’ sexual abuse case settled

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota judge signed off on a settlement Monday in a groundbreaking case that accused Catholic church leaders in Minnesota of creating a public nuisance by failing to warn parishioners about an abusive priest.

Ramsey County Judge James Van De North approved the settlement after meeting with both sides Monday, said Jeff Anderson, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Full details of the settlement weren’t given, but the sides did release 17 “child protection protocols.”

Among them: Church leaders said they will not recommend a priest for active ministry or a position working with minors if they’ve been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. They also said they would disclose any accusation of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest when asked by the priest’s potential employer – whether it’s by another diocese or outside the church – along with the resolution.

Church leaders also promised not to conduct an internal investigation or “interfere in any way” with law enforcement investigations after they make a mandated report of possible child sexual abuse.

The case against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona is believed to be the first clergy sexual abuse case nationwide to use the public nuisance theory at trial.

That claim allowed victims’ attorneys to seek evidence of sexual abuse across the archdiocese, rather than focus on allegations against one individual.