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	Judge Oks Keeping Documents Sealed—for Now—in Civil Suit Involving Abusive Priest Chicago Tribune January 29, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-archdiocese-suit-29-jan29,0,4464736.story A Cook County judge on Wednesday affirmed a request from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago to protect witnesses' names and other documents in the only remaining civil suit filed by the family of a child abused by a former priest on Chicago's West Side. "The protective order in this case is intended to allow the exchange of information between the parties to the lawsuit while ensuring that the privacy interests of victims of child sexual abuse and their families are respected while the case is pending," church officials said in a statement. The protective order only applies until the case goes to trial. William Martin, a lawyer for the boy who was abused by Daniel McCormack multiple times at St. Agatha Catholic Church and elsewhere, argued that the church's motion was vague enough to shield church secrets from the public eye and potentially protect priests who protected McCormack. The lawsuit is the first time in recent history that the archdiocese faces a trial in a civil suit involving a priest removed from ministry because he abused children. Illinois' statute of limitations has barred many older cases from going to trial.
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