DA asks appeals court to reconsider Lynn case in priesthood scandal

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philly.com

by Jeremy Roebuck, STAFF WRITER.

Philadelphia prosecutors urged a state appellate court on Monday to reconsider its decision to overturn the first conviction nationwide of a Roman Catholic Church official for covering up child sex abuse by priests.

District Attorney Seth Williams asked the Pennsylvania Superior Court for a chance to reargue the case against Msgr. William J. Lynn in front of a full panel of the 14-member court. His request came a week after a three-judge Superior Court panel ordered a new trial for Lynn, 64, three years after his conviction in a landmark 13-week trial.

Williams, who has scheduled a news conference to discuss his filing Monday afternoon, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lynn’s lawyer, Thomas A. Bergstrom, said the move by Williams’ office was not entirely unexpected.

“This is like a never-ending saga, which will probably never end,” he said. “Hopefully the Superior Court’s opinion will stand.”

In tossing Lynn’s conviction last week, the Superior Court took issue with evidence prosecutors introduced at the monsignor’s 2012 trial in an attempt to prove that the Philadelphia Archdiocese had historically mishandled child abuse complaints involving area priests.

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