Minn. jury awards $1.4M in pastor sex-abuse case
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A Minnesota woman who accused her Methodist pastor of sexually abusing her has been awarded $1.4 million in a civil lawsuit.
The woman accused 67-year-old Donald Dean Budd of pursuing an inappropriate relationship at a time when she was emotionally vulnerable.
A jury this week awarded her $1.4 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
Budd was a pastor at McKinley United Methodist Church in Winona. Prior to that he served in Methodist churches in Harmony, Minn., and Eau Claire, Wis.
A call to Budd's home Saturday rang unanswered. A message left with his attorney Saturday wasn't immediately returned.
A Winona Daily News report says Budd pleaded guilty in 2009 to two counts of felony criminal sexual conduct stemming from the pair's relationship. He's serving 15 years of probation.
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