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Sasha Aslanian
Minneapolis

Clergy sex abuse victim cries foul over church's legal costs

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Victims of clergy sex abuse are crying foul at a move by the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis to demand legal costs from a man suing the church.

The plaintiff, known only as John Doe 76C, sued the church in 2006 over sex abuse, won his case, then lost on appeal and is appealing again.

David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors network of those Abused by Priests, calls the church's effort to recoup legal costs "callous."

"Yesterday, St. Paul's archbishop went to court and tried to force this victim to pay $64,000 in costs -- legal defense costs -- by the archdiocese, which is a totally unprecedented move," he said. "We believe it's mean-spirited, and the only real motive is to intimidate this particular victim and other victims into staying silent."

In a statement, the Archdiocese called the request to recover legal costs "routine", and said the church has made numerous attempts to settle the case.