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	Names of County's Clergy Sex Abuse Victims to Remain under Wraps By Teri Figueroa North County Times March 7, 2007 http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03/08/news/top_stories/1_02_443_7_07.txt San Diego —The names of people suing the Catholic Diocese of San Diego over allegations of sex abuse will be kept secret in federal proceedings tied to the diocese's bankruptcy filing -- unless the victims want their names made public. The decision to keep the names under wraps came during a hearing in a San Diego federal bankruptcy court Wednesday. An attorney for some of the victims said he was pleased with the decision and was concerned that the church may have tried to seal documents containing not only the victims' names, but also the details of how the diocese allegedly covered up abuse and molestation by clergy. "The only thing that will be held back now is the names (of the victims)," said Raymond Boucher, a Los Angeles area attorney representing about a third of the victims in the local cases. "That is exactly what we had hoped for." The local diocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week, a move that brought a temporary halt to more than 140 pending lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests. The bankruptcy filing came on the eve of the first of the civil trials against the local diocese. The decision to file for bankruptcy followed negotiations that failed to produce a settlement in the civil suits, which were filed in state court. In the state civil suits, many of the victims accusing the church of covering for pedophile priests are suing under fictitious names such as John Doe. In the federal bankruptcy suit, the names of the victims will also remain under wraps. Attorneys for the diocese and some of its creditors planned to be back in court this morning for the judge to decide whether the diocese will be allowed to continue spending money to finish building an Otay Mesa-area Catholic high school. Construction on that school, named Mater Dei, is about 82 percent complete and is set to be done by July. The school is supposed to open in the fall with an estimated 850 students. "We are surprised and disappointed that some of the schools are at issue," diocese attorney Micheal Webb said after the hearing. But attorneys for the victims say they are upset that the diocese entered the contract to build to school in 2005, while in the middle of settlement negotiations with victims. The San Diego Diocese, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, has 98 churches, runs 50 schools and has nearly 1 million parishioners. — Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.
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