MISSOURI
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Joel Currier
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS • An advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse said Thursday his group likely will defy a St. Louis federal judge’s order to hand over personal information about people who made accusations against a Roman Catholic priest.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has until Friday to provide communications sought in a civil suit by the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, who had been named in two counties on charges that were later dropped. Jiang is seeking damages.
“In good conscience, we feel we have absolutely no choice. We can’t comply,” said David Clohessy, director of the St. Louis-based SNAP. “It literally sickens me to think that one abuse victim who is agoraphobic or depressed or anorexic or even suicidal is going to be betrayed again when she finds out that a twice accused child molesting cleric gets to read painful, intimate details of her suffering.”
U.S. District Judge Carol E. Jackson ordered production of documents that include emails, text messages and contact information for the accusers.
Jiang filed suit last year claiming he was defamed with false accusations rooted in religious and ethnic discrimination, and denied due process. The defendants are an accuser’s parents, listed only by initials, two St. Louis police officers, the city, SNAP, Clohessy and another SNAP official, Barbara Dorris.
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