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	Plaintiffs' Attorney Wants to Question Retired Bishop Plans to Depose 20 Priests Accused of Abuse in N. Kentucky Associated Press, carried in Lexington Herald-Leader [Burlington KY] Downloaded April 09, 2004 BURLINGTON - Plaintiffs' attorneys in a class-action lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests want to question retired Bishop William Hughes about his oversight of the Diocese of Covington. Attorney Robert Steinberg said he wants to ask Hughes about what he knew of the alleged abuse during his tenure as Covington bishop. Steinberg said he is not accusing Hughes of being an abuser. Hughes was Covington bishop from 1979 until his retirement in 1995. Steinberg also plans to take the depositions of 20 priests accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the Northern Kentucky diocese. Special Judge John Potter on Tuesday set an Oct. 25 trial date for the nation's first class-action suit over allegations of sexual abuse by priests. The trial in Boone County Circuit Court is expected to last up to four weeks. A pretrial hearing is set for July 12. Potter has said it remained unclear to him what exactly would be tried, and he has sought clarification in trial plans from both sides. Diocese attorneys confirmed that they intend to file a motion to decertify the class.
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