MISSISSIPPI
The Clarion-Ledger
By Jack Elliott Jr.
The Associated Press
The Mississippi Supreme Court has blocked a Hinds County judge's release of United Methodist Church documents to a woman who had filed a $10 million lawsuit against a minister who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her.
The court ruled Thursday that Circuit Judge Tomie Green did not perform a required document-by-document review to determine if they were protected by the church's claim of priest-penitent privilege, which includes information learned through confession and all forms of counseling.
Presiding Justice Bill Waller Jr., writing Thursday for the court, said Green must review each document and give reasons why each document is protected or not.
"Here, the circuit court violated that protective responsibility by allowing one party premature inspection of documents before the ruling as to privilege could be appealed," Waller wrote.