Posted on: Saturday, August 7, 2004

Judge orders bishops to open priests' secret personnel files

By Jean Guccione
Los Angeles Times

In what victims say was a major legal victory, a judge ordered Roman Catholic bishops yesterday to turn over secret personnel files on 40 priests accused in lawsuits of molesting children in Northern California.

Similar church files are being sought by both prosecutors and lawyers for more than 500 people who say they were sexually abused by priests in the Los Angeles area. The documents could shed light on how the church responded to allegations of abuse.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Ronald M. Sabraw became the first judge in California to publicly reject the church's argument that the files reflect a specially protected relationship between bishops and priests.

Sabraw's sweeping order applies to "all documents and information wherever located and however labeled."

His ruling sets the framework for the exchange of evidence in 150 civil suits pending against eight Roman Catholic dioceses north of Santa Barbara County. It does not govern the Southern California cases, but legal experts say it could influence other judges asked to rule on the similar secrecy issues.

At a hearing yesterday, Sabraw ordered diocesan officials to turn over the files to plaintiffs lawyers by Sept. 10. The files will not become public immediately. The judge explained his decisions in a 16-page ruling.

"The room for playing games has been substantially reduced," said Stockton, Calif., attorney Laurence Drivon, who represent 450 people suing the church for childhood sexual abuse in California. He believes the church is dragging its feet with "legal theories that the courts are throwing out one after another."