PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Legal Intelligencer
Gina Passarella, The Legal Intelligencer
March 22, 2016
Monsignor William Lynn, whose conviction for endangering the welfare of children molested by other priests was vacated last year, attacked in court papers Tuesday the Philadelphia District Attorney’s appeal of the reversal as “breathtakingly dishonest.”
Lynn said in his answer in opposition to District Attorney R. Seth Williams’ petition for appeal to the state Supreme Court that the appeal hinged on two “inaccurate” and “unproven” allegations: that one of the abusive priests was diagnosed as a pedophile and that Lynn reassigned that priest as part of scheme of concealment. Lynn argued the record shows the priest in question was never diagnosed as a pedophile and that Lynn had no power to reassign the priest.
Lynn’s conviction was overturned in December in a nonprecedential opinion from the Superior Court that found the trial court abused its discretion by allowing evidence of abusive conduct of 21 priests Lynn had never been involved with. The Superior Court ordered a new trial and the District Attorney’s Office appealed. Lynn said in his filing Tuesday that the District Attorney’s Office was trying to overcome the Superior Court’s ruling on the evidence by painting the case as “high-profile” and based on emotion.
“The level of unprofessionalism is alarming and one can only conclude that petitioner’s efforts are not directed toward seeking a petition consistent with the Rules of Appellate Procedure, but to drive this court to a decision grounded in emotion,” Lynn said in his brief, filed by his attorney, Thomas Bergstrom of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney.
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