ST. LOUIS (MO)
KBIA
By RACHEL LIPPMANN
Updated Jan 9, 2014:
The Missouri Court of Appeals has denied the Archdiocese’s request to permanently block the release of the records to the plaintiff, and ordered judge Robert Dierker to set a new deadline.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis, “while deserving due respect, must be treated the same as any other litigant,” Judge Glenn A. Norton wrote in his two-page order. He wrote that Dierker’s Dec. 31 order properly addressed privacy concerns, and that the information requested by the plaintiff was relevant to her case.
In an emailed statement, the Archdiocese said it would immediately appeal Judge Norton’s decision.
“The Archdiocese attempted to limit the scope of the order to protect the privacy rights of all involved, including victim who had never expressed desire to be part of public litigation,” the statement continued. “The fact that the appeal was initially granted shows how difficult this issue is for all involved, the parties and the courts. We respect the trial court’s efforts to build mechanisms to address these challenging issues, but we continue to disagree that an unprecedented invasion of third parties’ lives is warranted.” …
In his own statement, David Clohessy, the director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, called it “sad” that Archbishop Robert Carlson would continue to spend the “generous donations of his flock to pay lawyers, protect predators, endanger kids, maintain secrecy and cause more delays for the brave 20 year old woman who was sexually assaulted by a priest and is seeking justice.”
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