Leagle.com - Belleville News-Democrat, Illinois September 25, 2009
Priest Sex Abuse Case at Standstill: Illinois High Court Upholds Dismissal of Case
By George Pawlaczyk, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
Sep. 25--BELLEVILLE -- An Illinois Supreme Court decision made public Thursday upheld a local judge's decision to toss out a civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a priest in a Belleville parochial school 25 years ago.
The lawsuit, filed in 2003 by St. Louis firefighter Chris Amenn, of O'Fallon, cannot go forward, said attorney Mike Finnegan, a member of a nationally known St. Paul, Minn., law firm that has filed hundreds of lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by priests. The firm represents Amenn.
Attorneys connected to local and national lawsuits involving priest sex abuse of minors say the top court's decision will make it difficult for victims now in their mid-40s or older to pursue cases because of the ruling's scope. But the attorneys urged those claiming to have been abused to still come forward.
The priest named in the court papers in the Supreme Court case is the Rev. Kenneth Roberts, who was prohibited years ago from performing Mass or carrying out other priestly duties after allegations of sexual abuse of minors were made to various Catholic church officials, according to court documents.
"This is pretty much it for this case," Finnegan said of the Amenn lawsuit.
Diocese spokesman David Spotanski forwarded the following response from Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton: "The Diocese of Belleville continues to express regret for any instance of sexual abuse of a minor by a member of its clergy. The Diocese of Belleville is committed to adhering to the Child Protection Policy (of the Catholic Church) and will continue to assist victims and their families in furtherance of that policy and its ministry."
A statement concerning the decision from the Catholic Conference of Illinois, which represents all six Catholic dioceses in Illinois, stated in part, "The Catholic community will continue to work to bring healing and justice to the survivors of child sexual abuse."
Mike Weilmuenster, a Belleville attorney who helped represent James Wisniewski who won a $5 million judgment in St. Clair County Circuit Court from the Belleville Diocese in August 2008, said the Supreme Court decision will not affect this case and probably will not affect three cases his law firm has regarding similar claims of sexual abuse. Weilmuenster said that in the Wisniewski case, which is on appeal before the 5th District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon, a different underlying factor has been challenged by attorneys for the diocese: whether "fraudulent concealment" of the abuse by the diocese allows a case to be brought after the statute of limitations has expired.
Weilmuenster agreed that for persons of a certain age -- mid 40s or older -- bringing lawsuits for sexual abuse by a priest will be difficult and maybe impossible. But he urged all persons to come forward who believe they might have been abused.
"This will make it much more difficult for some persons abused by a priest to get their day in court," he said.
Barbara Blaine, the founder and national president of the Survivor's Network of Those Abused by Priests, said, "This decision protects perpetrators of sexual abuse of children."
The Supreme Court's decision in the Amenn case overturned an earlier ruling by the appeals court in Mount Vernon that reinstated the lawsuit. The local judge is St. Clair County Circuit Judge Lloyd Cueto, whose original decision tossing the case was upheld by the Supreme Court ruling.
As for whether all civil lawsuits in Illinois alleging sexual abuse by priests that occurred long enough ago as to make them barred by the statute of limitations are now prohibited, Finnegan said that in some cases lawsuits could still be filed based on a 2003 revision of the Illinois Child Protection Act. But he agreed that for plaintiffs who are now in their mid 40s, the Supreme Court decision effectively prevents lawsuits from being filed by these people.
Jeff Anderson, Amenn's lead attorney, said while people now in the mid 40s who were abused as minor will have a difficult time successfully suing, "It is important for them to come forward. ... We will find ways of dealing with this decision or working around it."
Attorney David Wells, who represents the Diocese of Belleville, one of three defendants in the case, could not be reached for comment.
This article was found at:
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/news.do?feed=yellowbrix&storyid=135706169
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