Archdiocese's Confidentiality Request in Sex Abuse Case Denied

By Max Mitchell
The Intelligencer
January 16, 2016

http://www.thelegalintelligencer.com/id=1202747309476/Archdioceses-Confidentiality-Request-in-Sex-Abuse-Case-Denied?slreturn=20160016173009

A Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge has denied the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's attempts to impose a confidentiality order on an ongoing civil suit involving alleged sex abuse.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark I. Bernstein denied the church's motion for confidentiality and phased discovery last week, holding instead that the parties can only redact Social Security numbers, dollar amounts of any financial information, and the names of alleged victims of child sexual abuse. The order was made in the case McIlmail v. Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

"We are pleased that the court has rejected the argument, and now we would hope that the archdiocese, instead of throwing up further roadblocks, will now provide discovery, which is needed," said Thomas R. Kline of Kline & Specter, who represents the plaintiff in the case. "It is disappointing to the McIlmail family that the archdiocese would not follow the lead of Pope Francis when he said that 'the crimes and sins of the sex abuse of minors may no longer be kept secret.'"

Conrad O'Brien attorney Nicholas M. Centrella, who represents the archdiocese, did not return a call for comment last week.