An Olmsted County jury awarded $7.6 million to a plaintiff who alleged sexual misconduct and filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Winona.
The jury returned its verdict on Monday, June 30, after a weeklong trial to determine the damages.
The plaintiff, referred to as Doe 254, filed the complaint for a personal injury lawsuit in 2021 related to allegations of abuse in the 1970s. The case alleged three counts relating to negligence and demanded payment for the damages in excess of $50,000.
This case is a result of the Minnesota Child Victims Act of 2013, which lifted the statute of limitations on past claims of child sexual abuse for a three-year period that ended in August 2016. More than 100 claims of child sexual abuse by clergy arose after the act was passed.
Before the trial, the diocese’s attorneys filed a proposed statement that the diocese admitted negligence. The trial became an abbreviated one, focused on determining the damages owed to Doe 254.
Of the $7.6 million awarded, the jury determined that $7 million will compensate Doe 254 for past damages, including “past pain, disability, embarrassment, emotional distress.” The jury allocated $500,000 to compensate the plaintiff for future damages. The remaining $100,000 will cover the plaintiff’s health care expenses.
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