Court Documents from Davenport Abuse Cases Below we provide court documents filed by plaintiffs and defendants in abuse cases involving the Davenport diocese. These documents are important for several reasons. Some include diocesan documents that show how the Davenport bishops have dealt with abuse (these diocesan documents are also gathered elsewhere on this site). Other legal documents detail the claims against priests. Some filings show the diocese's response to the claims and its recourse to various defenses, including arguments based on statute of limitations and separation of church and state.

This is a selection (28 legal documents with their 148 exhibits) from the voluminous filings in the Davenport sexual abuse cases. Most of these cases are recent ones involving Rev. Francis E. Bass and his circle: Janssen, Wiebler, Geerts, and Murphy. But we also include several important court documents (including depositions by then Bishop Gerald F. O'Keefe and Msgr. Michael J. Morrissey, then vicar general of the diocese) from the 1992 civil case of confessed abuser Rev. James E. Leu. The filings in the John Doe III and James N. Wells cases contain as exhibits similar but not identical selections of Davenport diocesan documents, produced under Judge Pelton's order.

 

	•	Kaspers v. Father James Elmer Leu, Most Reverend Gerald O'Keefe, Father Harry Linnenbrink, Monsignor W. Robert Schmidt, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Davenport, and the Diocese of Davenport (Johnson County District Court, Law No. 53102)   • Deposition of Bishop Gerald O'Keefe (filed 8/25/92) {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7}   • Extract from O'Keefe Exhibit 1 - Clergy Record of Rev. James E. Leu   • Deposition of Monsignor Michael J. Morrissey (filed 8/25/92) {1} {2} {3}   • Ruling by Judge August F. Honsell on Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (filed 10/26/92)
	•	John Doe (I-A) v. Father James Janssen and Diocese of Davenport (Clinton County District Court, Law No. LA 29513)   • Petition at Law (filed by plaintiff 5/19/03)   • Plaintiff's Motion to Compel and for Sanctions against Defendant Diocese of Davenport (served on 7/19/04)   • Motion for Summary Judgment and Request for Oral Argument (served by defendant 7/30/04)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Brief in Support of Its Motion for Summary Judgment (served by defendant 7/30/04)   • Statement of Undisputed Facts (served by defendant 7/30/04)   • Plaintiff's Statement of Disputed Facts in Resistance to Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (served 8/23/04)   • Exhibit 1 - Affidavit of John Doe I-A (8/14/04)   • Exhibit 2 - Excerpt of Deposition of Bishop Gerald O'Keefe in Kasper et al. v. Leu et al. (8/25/92)   • Exhibit 3 - Excerpt of Deposition of Msgr. Michael J. Morrissey in Kasper et al. v. Leu et al. (8/25/92)   • Exhibit 4 - Excerpt of Deposition of Msgr. Michael J. Morrissey in John Doe (I-A) v. Janssen et al. (6/2/04)   • Exhibit 5 - "Priests Must Take Sex Abuse Classes: Diocese Has Not Seen Problem Here," by John McCooley (8/5/98)   • Exhibit 6 - Excerpt of Deposition of Chancellor Irene M. Prior Loftus (7/9/04)   • Exhibit 7 - Affidavit of Dr. Mark Schwartz (8/20/04) with resume   • Exhibit 8 - Dr. Schwartz Report (filed under court seal)   • Plaintiff's Memorandum of Authorities in Support of Resistance to Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (served 8/23/04) with law
	•	John Doe II v. Father Francis Bass, Father James Janssen, and the Diocese of Davenport (Clinton County District Court, Law No. LA 29867)   • Petition at Law {1} {2} (filed by plaintiff 9/25/03)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Brief in Support of Its Motion for Summary Judgment (served 7/15/04)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Statement of Undisputed Facts (served 7/15/04)   • Plaintiff's Initial Resistance to Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Motion for Summary Judgment and Motion for Permission to File Amended Motion (filed 7/27/04)
	•	John Doe III v. Father James Janssen, Father Francis Bass, Theodore Anthony Geerts, and the Diocese of Davenport (Scott County District Court, Law No. 101428)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Motion for Summary Judgment and Request for Oral Argument (filed 2/3/04)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Statement of Undisputed Facts (filed 2/3/04)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Brief in Support of Its Motion for Summary Judgment (refiled 2/25/04)   • Plaintiff's Statement of Disputed Facts in Resistance to Defendants' Motions for Summary Judgment (served 5/14/04)   • 69 exhibits   • Plaintiff's Memorandum of Authorities in Support of Resistance to Defendants' Motions for Summary Judgment (served 5/14/04) with relevant law
	•	Donald J. Green v. Father James Janssen and the Diocese of Davenport (Clinton County District Court, Law No. LA 29990)   • Petition at Law (filed by plaintiff on 11/17/03)   • Motion for Summary Judgment and Request for Oral Argument (served by the defendant 7/15/04)   • Defendant Diocese of Davenport's Brief in Support of Its Motion for Summary Judgment (served 7/15/04)   • Plaintiff's Statement of Disputed Facts in Resistance to Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (filed 7/28/04)   • Exhibit 1 - Affidavit of Donald J. Green (7/25/04)   • Exhibit 2 - Excerpt of Deposition of Bishop Gerald O'Keefe in Kasper et al. v. Leu et al. (8/25/92)   • Exhibit 3 - Excerpt of Deposition of Msgr. Michael J. Morrissey in Kasper et al. v. Leu et al. (8/25/92)   • Exhibit 4 - Excerpt of Deposition of Msgr. Michael J. Morrissey in John Doe (I-A) v. Janssen et al. (6/2/04)   • Exhibit 5 - "Priests Must Take Sex Abuse Classes: Diocese Has Not Seen Problem Here," by John McCooley (8/5/98)   • Exhibit 6 - Excerpt of Deposition of Chancellor Irene M. Prior Loftus (7/9/04)   • Exhibit 7 - Affidavit and Confidential Report and Curriculum Vitae by Dr. Carole Dillon, Ph.D.   • Reply to Plaintiff's Memorandum in Opposition to the Diocese's Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings (served by the defendant 7/30/04)
	•	James N. Wells v. Father James Janssen and the Diocese of Davenport (Scott County District Court, Law No. 101220)   • Motion for Summary Judgment and Request for Oral Argument (served by defendant 11/12/03)   • Statement of Undisputed Facts (served by defendant 11/12/03)   • Memorandum in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment and Request for Oral Argument (served by defendant 11/12/03)   • Plaintiff's Statement of Disputed Facts in Resistance to Defendants' Motions for Summary Judgment (served 5/14/04)   • 66 exhibits   • Plaintiff's Memorandum of Authorities in Support of Resistance to Defendants' Motions for Summary Judgment (served 5/14/04) with relevant law