KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Some plaintiffs and allegations have been dismissed from three civil lawsuits filed against priests and the Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic diocese.

The Kansas City Star reports each ruling this week was a victory for the diocese or an accused priest.

In federal court Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner dismissed parents from two lawsuits filed against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, who allegedly took lewd photographs of their daughters. Fenner ruled that only the alleged child victims could collect damages.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Peggy Stevens McGraw on Monday threw out all allegations against the diocese in a suit filed last year against the Rev. Michael Tierney. The judge also dismissed eight counts against Tierney, who still faces civil allegations of childhood sexual abuse and battery.

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