NATION IN BRIEF : TEXAS : Jury Rules Against Woman in Priest Suit

A Houston jury refused to find the Roman Catholic Church negligent in a $7-million suit filed by a woman who had had a two-year sexual relationship with a priest. Jurors deliberated just three hours before rejecting the claim of Debbie McCorvey, 34, that the church was negligent in allowing Father Fernando Noe Guzman to exploit her dependence on him as a counselor. McCorvey, a religion teacher, claimed church officials were at fault for not making sure Guzman, 39, received therapy after his alleged sexual involvement with a 13-year-old girl. Church officials argued that McCorvey’s relationship with Guzman was consensual.