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	Appeals Court Tosses Lawsuit against Diocese By Jane Gargas Yakima Herald-Republic May 4, 2007 http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/364104548323241 A state appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit by Robert Fontana against his former employer, the Catholic Diocese of Yakima and Bishop Carlos Sevilla. The Division III Court of Appeals in Spokane ruled Thursday that Yakima County Superior Court was correct a year ago in deciding that Fontana's duties with the diocese were ministerial in nature. Therefore, the appeals court said, it did not have jurisdiction in the case, due to constitutional separation of church and state. ... Fontana, who worked for the diocese for 25 years, said he was reprimanded twice at work in 2004 for questioning how the diocese was handling the case of a priest, whom church officials believe downloaded images of naked boys. The priest was investigated by the FBI and the county prosecutor's office on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Both agencies ultimately declined to file charges on the grounds that the dozen or so images on the priest's computer did not meet the standard of pornography.
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