(MPR) St. Paul, Minn. \u2014 A lawsuit filed Tuesday morning accuses a former Catholic church deacon of sexual assault and charges the St. Cloud Diocese with covering it up.<\/p>\n
Michael W. Weber was named as the alleged abuser in a suit filed in Hennepin County District Court. The suit was filed on behalf of a man identified only by his first name, Terry.<\/p>\n
The suit alleges that Weber sexually assaulted Terry during the summer of 1970.<\/p>\n
“What brings us here years after the abuse is the cover up of it… And the failure of the Diocese officials … to act,” said Jeff Anderson, the attorney representing Terry.<\/p>\n
The suit also charges the St. Cloud Diocese with fraud, saying officials knew Weber was a potential danger to children and tried to cover the incident up.<\/p>\n
Anderson said the church should have reported Weber to police at the time.<\/p>\n
“They chose to take a gamble,” Anderson said. “The risk was that other kids could be hurt. But they chose instead to protect their reputation.”<\/p>\n
Last month, allegations surfaced that Weber was involved in sexual misconduct in the late 1960s while he was a deacon at the Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud. The Diocese held a listening session earlier this month in response to what church officials say are credible allegations.<\/p>\n
Neither Weber, nor his attorney responded to calls and emails for comment. The St. Cloud Diocese also did not respond to calls for comment.<\/p>\n