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  School Must Name Employees in Abuse Case
Ruling Allows Woman Suing over Alleged Sexual Misconduct to Identify Other Potential Abusers

By Rachanee Srisavasdi
Orange County Register
April 18, 2007

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1660915.php

Santa Ana – Catholic diocese officials must identify some Mater Dei High School employees accused of sexual misconduct if asked by lawyers for a woman suing over alleged sexual abuse, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

The decision allows lawyers for 'Jane C. R. Doe,' as she is identified in court, to inquire about potential abusers who worked at the school from January 1988 to December 31, 2001.

Jane Doe, a 26-year-old woman and a former Mater Dei student, is suing church and school, alleging former assistant basketball coach Jeff Andrade sexually abused her for two years, starting in 1995.

Andrade admitted in a deposition that he had sex with the girl.

Lawyers say they want to ask about other alleged abusers employed by the school to see if Andrade was given preferential treatment by being allowed to visit the campus in the capacity of a job he took after leaving the school. Andrade works for Varsity Gold, a teen sport fundraising company, said the woman's lawyer, John Manly.

Andrade was allowed to resign from Mater Dei in 1997 and went on briefly to work as a substitute teacher at Huntington Beach High School District before taking the job with Varsity Gold which occasionally required him to be on Mater Dei's campus.

Before today's ruling, another judge had ruled diocese officials only have to make public names of other employees accused of abuse up until Andrade resigned. But in a hearing last week, Jane Doe's lawyers argued for the extension.

"He was allowed to come back … after he had been accused of abuse," said Manly. "It's shocking."

Contact the writer: (714) 834-3773 or rsrisavasdi@ocregister.com

 
 

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