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	Court Orders Release of Files Catholic Sentinel July 16, 2009 http://www.sentinel.org/node/10188 A federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that the Archdiocese of Portland must release more than 1,000 pages of additional priest personnel files and sworn testimony by church officials, as requested by lawyers of sex abuse victims. In a statement released Monday, the archdiocese objected to the decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris, saying the documents sought for release are not relevant. The church has 30 days to appeal before the files are released. Perris' ruling lifts a protective order on the files of a handful of accused priests and depositions given by church officials, including testimony by Cardinal William Levada, the former Archbishop of Portland and now prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Perris has overseen the archdiocese's restructuring since Archbishop John Vlazny filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy five years ago. "In some cases, no claim was ever brought against the individual whose file is now ruled public," the archdiocese said of the document order. "For some of the files, an individual was accused of misconduct with no proof other than the accusation itself. Accusations without proof should not result in an employee's files being made public." The court says the order does not suggest that the allegations of abuse have merit. The archdiocese released about 400 documents in April 2007, and approximately 2,000 additional documents in April 2008. Documents were also released in November 2008 and January 2009 after a process of arbitration by Federal District Judge Michael Hogan. In December 2008, Hogan ordered the release of more files, too, a decision the archdiocese appealed. Meanwhile, a small group of victims led by Portland attorney Erin Olson also asked Perris to make more documents public. At a news conference in April 2007, Archbishop Vlazny said, "As part of the healing process and in the interests of transparency, we will also be releasing relevant and appropriate documents, after a process that seeks a fair and just result for all concerned." On Monday, the archdiocese said the documents released previously met the qualifications for "relevant and appropriate" documents but that removing the protective order on additional documents violates the criteria.
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