Mo--Archbishop Loses at Appeal Court

By David Clohessy
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
January 9, 2014

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mo_archbishop_loses_at_appeal_court

Archbishop loses at appeals court

Victim is “a step closer” to getting 115 accused predators’ names

St. Louis’ Catholic archbishop lost his bid today to overturn a judge’s ruling so he will soon have to turn over to a young woman and her lawyer the names of accused church employees who are credibly accused of molesting kids.

The decision means that St. Louis Judge Robert Dierker’s original order stands and Archbishop Robert Carlson must give the names to an alleged victim and her attorney, Ken Chackes of St. Louis.

Carlson has successfully delayed the disclosure for more than seven months. Carlson’s legal conduct, Dierker wrote, “borders on if not amounts to contempt.”

Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, are applauding the ruling.

“We are grateful that this brave young woman is persisting and that the appeals court says Catholic officials must follow the same rules as other defendants in child sex abuse cases,” said David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP’s director.

The girl, who was sexually violated for years (until around 2000) by Fr. Joseph D. Ross at St. Cronan’s parish in the city, is represented by attorneys Ken Chackes and Nicole Gorovsky. She filed her civil suit in 2011.

Contact: SNAPclohessy@aol.com