The timeline of alleged abuse by a Topeka priest at St. Matthew’s parish in the 1980s could have a significant impact on an ongoing child sexual abuse case.

In the matter of Appeal No. 121,768: John Doe H.B., an individual v. M.J., Individually and in His Capacity as a Priest at St. Matthew Parish, and The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas, a Kansas Not for Profit Corporation,the Kansas Supreme Court says it will try the archdiocese in the case but denied a motion for summary judgment by the defendant. Further, it said it would need the discovery to establish a timeline of the crimes which would decide what crimes could be tried due to Kansas law.

Court records indicate H.B. filed a lawsuit in August 2017 which alleged a priest – M.J. – sexually abused him in Shawnee County when he was a child – over 30 years…