PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philly.com
DECEMBER 16, 2016
by Joseph A. Slobodzian, STAFF WRITER
Lawyers for Msgr. William J. Lynn – the archdiocesan official who served 33 months in prison before winning a new trial for his role in the Catholic church sex abuse scandal – have asked a Philadelphia judge to dismiss the case because of prosecutorial misconduct.
In a motion this week, defense attorney Thomas A. Bergstrom contended prosecutors withheld evidence that might have cleared Lynn in his first trial in 2012.
Lynn was not accused of sexually molesting children. Instead, the child endangerment charge involved his supervisory role as Philadelphia’s secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004. In that role, he was responsible for investigating allegations against priests and recommending action to the archbishop.
The defense motion also challenged Lynn’s retrial as selective prosecution, noting that the county grand jury that recommended charges against Lynn also was “highly critical” of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and his successor, Cardinal Justin Rigali but they were not charged by Williams.
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