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A Ramsey County District Court judge ruled Wednesday that the case against the Diocese of Winona and Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis will head to court later this fall.

Judge John Van de North denied the request for dismissal of the public nuisance part of the case, finding that the diocese and archdiocese's actions to allow priests accused of abuse to remain in service, as well as the decisions to withhold information about priests suspected of abuse, constituted a public nuisance.

"The Court need look no further than Fathers Adamson and Curtis Wehmeyer as unfortunate examples of the horrendous consequences that can flow from intentional and misguided efforts to protect pedophile priests at the expense of minors," Van de North wrote in his ruling, referring to former diocese and archdiocese priests, respectively, accused of abuse.

Van de North ruled in July against a similar motion for dismissal. In that maneuver, lawyers from the archdiocese and diocese agreed that former priest Thomas Adamson abused the plaintiff at the center of the lawsuit, but argued that there weren't sufficient legal grounds to present to a jury. The judge said he'll let the man, identified only as Doe 1, to proceed with his negligence claims.