ROCHESTER, Minn. – A jury awarded $4.8 million to a man on claim that he was abused sexually in the 1970s by Father Joseph Cashman. At the time Cashman was principal of Lourdes High School in Rochester. The man’s name has been shielded in court documents. His claim was against the Winona-Rochester Catholic Diocese, which operated the school and still does. Cashman died in 2018. The Diocese did not challenge the allegation, which left only the amount the award for the Olmstead County jury to decide. The abuses were during the boy’s freshman and sophomore years. There was a similar $4 million-plus award, involving another priest, in Winona County court last month.
Earlier: Church may seek to pare abuse pay-out
Earlier:Jury to Diocese: Pay $4.5 million for priest’s abuse