BishopAccountability.org
	False Abuse Accusations against Priests Common, Lawyer Argues Catholic Culture January 3, 2011 http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=8787 A veteran attorney has warned a California court of rampant fraud in sex-abuse claims against Catholic priests. Donald Steier has submitted a statement to Los Angeles County Superior Court saying that many claims against priests have been “either entirely false or so greatly exaggerated that the truth would not have supported a prosecutable claim.” Steier reported that many plaintiffs have reported abuse only after hearing of other plaintiffs who received a lucrative financial settlement for an abuse claim. Plaintiffs have changed their stories over time, he said. Moreover, Steir revealed, in a number of cases an accused priest who denies wrongdoing has successfully passed a lie-detector test, while his accuser has refused to submit to the test. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has denounced Steier’s report, and demanded that Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney distance himself from the arguments. SNAP has not directly challenged the content of Steier’s arguments.
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