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	Judge Denies Motion in Merryfields" Lawsuit against Green Bay Diocese WBAY March 4, 2011 http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=14183921 [with video] An Outagamie County judge denied a motion to prevent the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay from destroying documents. Attorneys for brothers Todd and Troy Merryfield filed a civil lawsuit three years ago against the diocese, claiming the Church covered up sexual assault allegations. In 2004, Father John Patrick Feeney was convicted of molesting the brothers back in 1978. The diocese claimed there are no documents relating to this case that have been destroyed or will be destroyed, so there is no foundation for the motion. The Merryfields' attorney disagreed. The diocese has a record retention policy which calls for the destruction of records one year after the death of a priest. The judge ruled that policy is reasonable and therefore denied the motion. "For purposes of this case I couldn't see the harm in granting the motion. What would the harm be to order that the records not be destroyed?" the Merryfields' attorney, John Peterson, reacted. "The diocese has been very vigilant about adhering to the law and providing all the information that's been required of us," Deacon Tim Reilly of the diocese said. A jury trial in the lawsuit is scheduled for March, 2012.
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