Ruling Means LA Priest Files Could Be Released

By Gillian Flaccus
Mercury News
October 12, 2012

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21750838/some-la-priest-files-could-be-released

LOS ANGELES—The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles could turn over two dozen priest personnel files to a plaintiff's attorney within days after the California Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling ordering the release.

The lower court ruling applies to only 25 of the priests who were included in a record-breaking, $660 million settlement between more than 500 alleged sex abuse victims and the archdiocese in 2007. The papers are also subject to a protective order, meaning they will only be turned over to the plaintiff's attorney, and not the public.

The 2007 settlement included a commitment to release the files of all molesting priests, but victims are still waiting five years later and accuse the archdiocese of stalling by tying up the documents in a legal battle.

A number of priests have filed individual objections to the release of their confidential files, which could include medical and psychological information, internal correspondence, police reports and other evidence showing what church leaders knew about molesting priests and when they knew it.

In the current case, plaintiff attorney Anthony DeMarco requested the confidential files of 25 priests accused of sexual abuse as part of the discovery in a separate and ongoing clergy abuse lawsuit.

A lower court ruled earlier this year that DeMarco could have access to the files, but attorneys for the archdiocese and individual priests appealed to the state's high court.

The decision Wednesday by the California Supreme Court not to review the lower court's ruling means the files should be released to DeMarco immediately, he said. A hearing is set for Friday on the issue.

J. Michael Hennigan, an archdiocese attorney, said a Los Angeles Superior Court judge is expected to issue an order within several weeks that will make the rest of the priest files public. The archdiocese expects to release those documents within three months after redacting the documents, he said.

"When you see these files, you'll understand that this is tricky," Hennigan said. "It's a big job."