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	Dolan Derides Claim He Hid Archdiocesan Money By Annysa Johnson Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 21, 2011 http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/116605403.html New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan derided as "beyond ridiculous" and "groundless gossip" a suggestion that he moved $130 million off the church books so it could not be used to finance clergy sex abuse settlements when he led the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in a column posted on the local archdiocese website. The column, which first appeared on the New York archdiocese website last week, is a response to a line of questioning by victims' attorney Jeffrey Anderson in a Feb. 11 hearing related to the Milwaukee Archdiocese's bankruptcy. In that hearing, Anderson questioned the transfer of $130 million - $75 million in an investment account and $55 million in a cemetery account - off the archdiocese's books during Dolan's tenure, saying they followed crucial court rulings that opened the door for victims to sue in civil court. A spokesman for Dolan declined to comment on the allegations on the day of the hearing. In his column, Dolan touts his record in support of victims, saying he established a mediation process that reached settlements with almost 200 survivors and called the financial decisions virtuous and open. He defended the investment account move - he put the dollar amount at $70 million - saying that money belonged to the parishes, and said the cemetery funds are protected by state law and cannot be "transferred by anybody." "Lord knows I've made mistakes" he said, "but 'hiding' $130 million is hardly one of them!" he wrote. Anderson, the St. Paul, Minn., attorney representing victims in civil lawsuits in Milwaukee and around the country, said, "the archbishop doth protest too much," and reiterated his intent to question Dolan and others under oath in depositions. "There are very serious questions that need to be asked of him," Anderson said Monday in a telephone interview. "We have every right, given the history of this archdiocese, to wonder (about its financial dealings), and every legal right to know."
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