Victims
of clergy sex abuse are protesting efforts by the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to recover legal costs from a
man who unsuccessfully sued the church.
The plaintiff, listed in court papers only as John Doe 76C, sued
in 2006 alleging he was abused by a priest in the early 1980s.
He won
his case, then lost on appeal because the statute of limitations had
expired.
David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors
Network of Those Abused by Priests, calls the church's effort to recoup
nearly $64,000 in legal costs "callous."
He says it's a mean-spirited
effort meant to intimidate this particular victim and other victims into
staying silent.
The archdiocese issued a statement calling its effort to recover legal costs routine.
SIC: AP/INT'L