LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Ledger
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES
Only minutes before the personnel files of 117 priests accused of molestation were to be released to the public on the Internet, the state Supreme Court stepped in to halt the process without explaining why.
The files from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles had been expected to provide an unprecedented look at how the archdiocese handled suspected child molesters by revealing when the church learned of alleged misconduct, who made the report and what action was taken, as well as the identity of some accused priests whose names have not been disclosed.
But the state Supreme Court intervened less than 15 minutes before the information was to be made public Tuesday afternoon, sending the case back to the appeals court that had cleared the way for the release.
The court did not immediately release details of its decision.