South Dakota court ends Indian boarding school abuse lawsuits

Friday, September 7, 2012  

The South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday put an end to two lawsuits that alleged abuse at a boarding school on the Yankton Sioux Reservation.

Former students of the St. Paul’s School sued the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls and the religious organizations that ran the school. The court, however, ruled that they waited too long -- state law place a statute of limitations of three years in abuse cases.

In a second decision, the court said the Catholic church cannot be held liable for alleged abuse because the acts were committed "solely in the perpetrators’ own interests and were not in furtherance of the pursuit of any Diocesan business."

Get the Story:
Ruling rejects Indian school lawsuit (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 9/7)

South Dakota Supreme Court Decisions:
Bernie v. Blue Cloud Abbey (September 6, 2012) | Bernie v. Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls (September 6, 2012)