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	Man Sues Peoria Diocese over Alleged Sex Abuse Associated Press, carried in Contra Costa Times [Los Angeles CA] January 18, 2007 http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16482310.htm People who say they were molested by a now-defrocked priest can seek punitive damages from the Diocese of San Diego in a lawsuit alleging church officials knew the priest was abusive and failed to stop him. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley J. Fromholz ruled Tuesday that 20 plaintiffs have sufficient evidence to argue that the church acted maliciously in helping cover up abuse. Edward Anthony Rodrigue, 69, was convicted of sexual abuse of children and has admitted to molesting five or six boys a year over 15 years, according to a copy of a 1997 San Bernardino County sheriff's report obtained by the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The plaintiffs in the civil case against the Diocese of San Diego claimed Rodrigue abused them in the 1960s and 1970s. Their lawyers contend church officials were told at least four times that Rodrigue was abusing boys but transferred him without informing new parishes. Defense lawyers have denied that the church was informed of Rodrigue's pedophilia. The case is scheduled for hearings Feb. 2 in San Diego. Information from: The Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com
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