Church Won't Seek Legal Costs From Priest Accuser

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has withdrawn its effort to recover $64,000 in legal expenses from a man who unsuccessfully sued the church over allegations of sexual abuse by a priest.

Jim Keenan sued the archdiocese in 2006 alleging he was abused in the early 1980s by Thomas Adamson, who was defrocked in 1984. He won, but lost on appeal.

The archdiocese called its effort to recover legal costs routine, but advocates for abuse victims called it callous. On Tuesday, as Keenan was holding a news conference to criticize the archdiocese, church attorneys asked a Ramsey County court to delay its motion -- citing Keenan's recent bankruptcy filing.

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