NEW YORK
Troy Record
By: Robert Cristo, The Record 03/19/2005
An appellate court ruling quashed two priests' attempts at silencing attorney John Aretakis, who represents numerous victims of alleged clergy sex abuse.
After months of debate, the five-member Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court gave Aretakis the right to publicly disclose contents of complaints of unethical behavior made against him.
"They agreed that I can report a grievance made against me to the media without permission from the court," said Aretakis. "Now that this monkey is finally off my back, I'm free to get back to doing my work."
The unanimous judgment went in Aretakis' favor, despite Committee on Professional Standards charges that Aretakis was violating provisions of the Judiciary Law for making public the complaints of Schenectady priest Carl Urban and Albany Diocesan Chancellor and spokesman Kenneth Doyle.
The three-page document, signed by Clerk of the Court Michael Novack, permitted Aretakis to "disclose" the contents of the "complaints" made against him and dismissed the charged made against him.
Aretakis also considered the decision a victory for lawyers across the state who wish to disclose complaints made against attorneys.