WINONA, Minn. — A jury awarded $4.5 million to a man who claimed being abused sexually by a Catholic priest in the early 1970s. The man was 12 years old at the time. Judge Nancy Buytendorp, who presided over the trial, didn’t sign off immediately on the settlement pending further review. The victim, now in his 60s, was identified in court documents only as Doe 539. He claimed Father Eugene Hubert, now deceased, was he abuser. The jury found both the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and St. Mary’s Parish liable. The Diocese had countered that that Hubert was not employed by St. Mary’s School nor did he hold any position with the Diocese when he met the boy. Pending Judge Buytendorp’s review, the judgment incudes:
> $3.9 million in damages for past pain, disability, embarrassment, and emotional distress.
> $360,000 for future health care expenses.
> $275,000 for future pain, disability, embarrassment, and emotional distress.
Faced with numerous such so-called “choir boy cases,” the Diocese filed for bankruptcy several years ago to settle $28 million in claims by 145 survivors. About one-quarter of the total was covered by insurance carriers.