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	Court Allows Abuse Lawsuit against Seattle Archdiocese to Proceed By Janet Tu Seattle Times June 6, 2011 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2015250000_court_allows_abuse_lawsuit_aga.html A lawsuit against the Seattle Roman Catholic Archdiocese, alleging long-ago abuse of a girl by an acquaintance of a priest, can proceed, according to a ruling Monday by the Washington State Court of Appeals. The plaintiff, identified by the initials M.H., said in the suit that when she was 5 years old, the Rev. Edmund Boyle, then associate pastor at St. James Cathedral, arranged to have a picnic with her family. Boyle invited two men and a woman to attend. Before the picnic, the man asked M.H.'s mother if he could drive the child to get supplies before going to the picnic, which the mother agreed to. But the man drove M.H. to an apartment and sexually abused her there, the lawsuit says. Boyle, whom the archdiocese knew had a history of sexual misconduct, is now deceased. The Seattle Archdiocese had argued that the acquaintance of Boyle's was not connected with the church and therefore the church could not be held legally liable. Though the trial court agreed, the appeals court reversed that decision, saying that, assuming the allegations are true, that the church placed Boyle in a position that allowed him to arrange for the abuse of M.H. by someone he knew would molest her. The case has been remanded to King County Superior Court.
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