Priest Accused Of Sexual Abuse Exonerated

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) – One of four priests accused of sexual abuse by an Ellensburg man has been exonerated, with the man’s attorneys expressing regret over the false accusation.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports that the Rev. Seamus Kerr was accused in a lawsuit filed in Kittitas County last year.

The man said he was abused as a boy decades ago at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Ellensburg.

But the litigation revealed that Kerr, who has been a priest for 60 years, was wrongly accused.

The lawsuit was settled on Dec. 10, with the Catholic Diocese of Yakima agreeing to pay $15,000 in counseling costs for the man.