Father Michael Kelly Held Liable on All Charges in Civil Trial

Lodi News-Sentinel
April 6, 2012

http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_b3420958-8045-11e1-8fd1-001a4bcf887a.html

Father Michael Kelly was held liable on three counts of assault, sexual assault and abuse late Friday afternoon.

The 10-woman, two-man jury took just a matter of hours to determine whether Kelly was held liable for the charges brought against him.

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The trial, which began Feb. 29, centered on a 37-year-old Fairfax man who sued Father Michael Kelly for sexually assaulting him when the plaintiff was an altar boy in the mid-1980s at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton.

The plaintiff remained unnamed throughout the trial because he was a possible victim of sexual assault.

John Manly, the plaintiff's attorney, said the verdict was gratifying and that he was happy for his client and his client's family, but he was also aggravated by the trial.

"It is frustrating that to get justice against a priest and Diocese of Stockton you have to hire lawyers and go through a civil trial if you were molested as a child," he said. "(My client) hopes the immediate result of all of this is that (Kelly) is removed and that he is never allowed around a child ever again."

This story is developing. To read the full story, please see Saturday's News-Sentinel.