CALIFORNIA
Pasadena Star-News
By Marianne Love , Staff Writer
A lawsuit accusing a former Covina priest of molesting an 11-year-old boy will go forward, despite a church oversight board's finding that he did nothing wrong.
The attorney for the plaintiff said the decision by the Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board of the Los Angeles Archdiocese doesn't affect his case against the Rev. Thomas King, who began his career at St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church 37 years ago and continues as pastor at St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Los Angeles.
"I'm not surprised. It's like the wolf watching over the hen house,' said Irwin M. Zalkin of Zalkin and Zimmer, LLP in San Diego. "I don't have any faith in what they do. The depth and breadth of their investigation doesn't compare with what we will do when we have the opportunity to conduct discovery, to get documents, interview witnesses under oath that's when life changes.'
King remains accused of engaging in sexual molestation for three to six months when the plaintiff, fictitiously referred to as John Roe 6, now 48, was 11 years old. Attorneys have refused to release the plaintiff's name.
Posted by kshaw at February 5, 2005 06:54 AM