KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star
By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star
Local Catholic officials must hand over information about past priest abuse investigations to Jackson County prosecutors, according to a judge overseeing the current case against Bishop Robert Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
The diocese also must turn over its notes and other documents from an independent investigation it commissioned former U.S. attorney Todd Graves to conduct into the case of the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, the judge ruled. Ratigan is facing child pornography charges in state and federal court.
Finn and the diocese are nearing trial on misdemeanor charges related to the handling of allegations against Ratigan.
In his ruling released Wednesday, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John Torrence said that information about the diocesan investigations into alleged misconduct regarding five other priests was “relevant and material” to the state’s pending case. Because sensitive and confidential information likely is contained in that information, the judge said he would impose a protective order to limit access to those files to attorneys and staff directly involved in the case.
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