Angelqueen.org

[servitium]

L.A. church abuse testimony will be made public, judge rules

Associated Press via Mercury News
August 31, 2005
Link to original

LOS ANGELES - Testimony about claims that priests abused children could become public within weeks after a judge rejected Cardinal Roger Mahony's request to keep it sealed.

Judge Haley J. Fromholz on Tuesday overruled arguments that releasing the information from depositions could prejudice potential jurors against the church. The depositions were taken during the last four months concerning hundreds of abuse claims.

"Allegations of clergy abuse have given rise to much anguish in the community," the judge wrote. "This anguish has been exacerbated by allegations that the church concealed information relating to the abuse. Further concealment of information from the public is thus ill-advised."

Mahony lawyer Donald Woods said he was pleased that Fromholz, citing privacy concerns, ordered lawyers to remove the names of victims, church employees and some witnesses before releasing the depositions.

But he added: "We don't think it's in anyone's best interest to try these cases in the media or do anything that could taint a jury pool should any of these cases go to trial."

Church critics claim the Archdiocese of Los Angeles covered up alleged abuse by transferring accused priests from parish to parish, without notifying church members or police.

One accused priest testified in his deposition that his religious order transferred another priest at least twice after he too was accused of molesting children, Santa Barbara attorney Tim Hale, who represents alleged victims, said in court Tuesday.

Talks are ongoing to try to settle more than 500 negligence lawsuits filed against the archdiocese over the abuse scandal.

[And now...]

[Michael]

Good. Sue’em to a treeless desert, and then sew their soil with salt…toward that new Sunday morning when, sorry if, Papa Benedetto, querying N.O orders, grasps and gasps that the whole V2 thing is a putrid corpse.

[Barbara]

[Eulogius]

Those with access to the LA Times, please let us know when this stuff is published.
The chickens in the chancery are coming home to roost.

[murph]

[latinmass]