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	Abuse Lawsuits Filed against Diocese of Stockton The Record January 12, 2007 http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/A_NEWS/70112005 Stockton – Several years after charges of sexual abuse by clergy first gained national attention, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton has drawn three new lawsuits focused on a deceased priest and an already convicted child molester who has since been deported to Ireland. One of the suits alleges the Stockton diocese failed to prevent Rev. Murty Fahy from molesting a girl for three years beginning in the second grade at St. Ann's Elementary School in Lodi. Murty died five years ago. Two other suits also filed in the San Joaquin County Superior Court claim the defrocked priest, Oliver O'Grady, abused a boy and a girl who were students at the Lodi school, which is under the Diocese of Stockton. These new lawsuits number among an estimated 2,000 clergy abuse cases pending in courts across the country. John Manly, a Newport Beach attorney who has won million-dollar settlements in clergy abuse cases since 1997 and represents the three plaintiffs, said the public's shock has waned since media reports first detailed widespread accusations. Manly blames, in part, the church's policy requiring priests' celibacy. "This is not going away," said Manly, describing the policy as creating sexual predators. "That's a screwed up view of the world." A church spokeswoman said the Stockton diocese was investigating the allegations. For the full story by staff writer Scott Smith, see Saturday's Record.
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