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Catholic Church Wants Accuser to Name Prior Sex Partners By Rachanee Srisavasdi Orange County Register August 30, 2007 http://crime.freedomblogging.com/2007/08/30/catholic-church-wants-accuser-to-name-prior-sex-partners/#more-308 The Catholic Diocese of Orange asked a judge today to order a woman who is pursuing a sex-abuse suit against a former coach at Mater Dei High School to name all of her sexual partners. Jane Doe, a 26-year-old woman, is suing the church, school and her alleged perpetrator, former assistant basketball coach Jeff Andrade, accusing him of sexual abuse for two years starting in 1995. Andrade, who no longer works at the school, has admitted in a deposition that he had sex with the girl. Today, a hearing was held on the lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in Orange County in mid-September. Superior Court Judge Gail A. Andler decided to make Jane Doe testify for at least another two hours about her sexual history — but let a retired judge Robert Jameson, who is handling the case's mediation, determine whether she needs to name her past sexual partners. During the hearing, James Hansen, a lawyer for the Diocese, said the names of the woman's prior sex partners are relevant to understanding the impact of the relationship with Andrade. "If Andrade was her first experience, it would have been a different impact," he said. Andrade's lawyer, A.J. Pyka, said the names were necessary to see whether the woman was being truthful. She has maintained she hasn't been able to have a functional romantic relationship because of Andrade. Jane Doe's attorney, Vince Finaldi, countered the plaintiffs were trying to harass and intimidate his client by demanding she name names. In other case news, Andler also deferred a decision to the mediation judge on whether top church officials — including Bishop Tod Brown — should have to give depositions in the case regarding prior knowledge of sex abuse cases. Diocese officials oppose such testimony, arguing it was too close to the trial date and not needed. Brown has never had to testify about what he knew about sex abuse claims. The lawyers for Jane Doe, Finaldi and Venus Soltan, said they would go to Jameson tomorrow and ask to order such depositions. Peter Callahan, another diocese lawyer, said the diocese would comply — but only if a judge orders the diocese to do so. This case is the first childhood sex-abuse claim against the Diocese of Orange since its $100 million settlement with 90 claimants in 2005. |
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