Judge to weigh unsealing archdiocese records

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The judge in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy will hear arguments Thursday on whether to unseal evidence expected to shed light on the scope of the church sex abuse scandal in southeastern Wisconsin and how the archdiocese handled allegations involving children over decades.

Attorneys for hundreds of victims who have filed claims in the bankruptcy are asking Judge Susan V. Kelley to make public the depositions of retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who led the archdiocese for 25 years, and others, along with related documents, all redacted to remove the names of victims and some alleged offenders.

“This is presumptively public information generated in a public case,” said attorney Jeffrey Anderson, who represents about 350 of the 570 men and women who have filed sex abuse claims against the archdiocese.

“And we will argue strenuously that the public’s right to know outweighs any privacy interest the archdiocese is asserting,” he said.

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