APPLETON, Wis. (WTAQ) - A judge in Outagamie County has ruled plaintiffs suing the Diocese of Green Bay must show proof it knew of past abuse before the civil case can proceed.
John Patrick Feeney was convicted in 2004 of sexually assaulting Troy and Todd Merryfield in 1978 when they were parishioners at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom.
They're suing the diocese under fraud statutes alleging the diocese didn't tell parishioners of Feeney's past, including sexual abuse counseling.
Judge Nancy Krueger ruled Thursday that the Merryfields must prove the diocese knew concretely of past abuse, not just "reasonable inferences."
