August 01, 2005

Former San Bernardino bishop named in sex-abuse lawsuits

RENO (NV)
The Desert Sun

The Associated Press
August 1, 2005

Former Bishop Phillip Straling of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno has been named as a key witness in more than 150 lawsuits in Southern California against priests accused of molesting children, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The suits allege Straling should have known that some priests were having sex with children in his former Diocese of San Bernardino but did nothing to stop them, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Some suits accuse Straling of negligence but don't identify him by name, saying only that the bishop either knew or should have known about the abuse and failed to act.

"We don't know if Straling knew anything, but as leader, all knowledge of employees is imputed to him," said William Light, a Riverside lawyer who's handling some of the suits.

Posted by kshaw at August 1, 2005 06:42 AM