Minnesota judge refuses to delay archbishop's testimony about child abuse cases

A Minnesota judge says he has turned down a request to delay testimony by an archbishop to testify about how the church handled clergy sex abuse cases. Ramsey County District Judge John Van de North also refused to drop a demand for the names of all priests in the archdiocese accused of abusing children since 2004, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Monday. The diocese has already released a list of clergy accused of abuse before 2004. Attorneys for "John Doe 1" had asked for the new list, as well as the testimony from Archbishop John Nienstadt as well as former Vicar General Kevin McDonough. Van de North told attorneys for the church to submit the new list of accused priests by Tuesday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The judge ordered depositions from Nienstadt and McDonough be taken within 30 days. Doe sued the church in May 2013, alleging the Rev. Thomas Adamson molested him in 1976 or 1977 while Adamson was a priest in St. Paul Park. Doe's attorneys claim church officials moved the Rev. Thomas Adamson from parish to parish as allegations arose of his abuse. Lawyers for the diocese had asked Van de North to drop his demands while they filed an appeal. Nienstadt says he should not have to testify about any cases that occurred before he became archbishop.