Missouri Supreme Court Upholds Broad Ranging Subpoena against SNAP

By Bridgette P. Lavictoire
Lez Get Real
August 15, 2012

www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTracker/Missouri%20Supreme%20Court%20Upholds%20Broad%20Ranging%20Subpoena%20Against%20SNAP

The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the Catholic Church can go on a fishing expedition in the archives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The judges let stand a lower court order that SNAP comply with a subpoena associated with the civil suit filed against Father Michael Tierney. The priest has been accused of molesting a minor in the early 1970′s. He denies the allegation.

SNAP and other victims-rights groups have fought the subpoena stating that it jeopardizes the privacy of alleged victims. They also have stated that this would allow church attorneys to use these confidential files to obstruct the work of victims' rights groups. Certainly it would intimidate people into not wanting to come forward.

Lawyers for Tierney, who is no longer active in the Church, feel that the files could explain how the alleged victims have recovered repressed memories of abuse. The lawyers have not asked specifically for the files in the case of Tierney, nor have they apparently requested to interview the accuser, but rather they have requested access to all of SNAP's files.