NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WVUE
September 7, 2018
By Kimberly Curth
The State Attorney General blasts our news partners at Nola.com/The Times Picayune over an article with the headline “AG Jeff Landry says he has no authority to investigate Catholic Church Sex Abuse.”
Landry wrote an opinion editorial in response to the story saying,”to be absolutely clear and accurate: to date, since I have been Attorney General, my office has not received one single complaint against any clergyman of the Catholic Church in the State of Louisiana or any referrals from a local District Attorney which is required under law for my office to initiate a prosecution. As someone who has successfully won court case after court case on the separation of powers, I have no inclination of overstepping my constitutional authority or doing the Legislature’s job.”
We spoke with New Orleans attorney Roger Stetter about the issue. He represents 10 people who claim they were abused by a former Church Deacon.
“I think the Attorney General clearly does have the authority to initiate a statewide civil investigation and I think that is something he should do, he is our chief law enforcement officer,” said Stetter. “What could be more important than the protection of our children? What could be more important than making our houses of worship safe for children?”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.