LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Franciscan Friars of California
Los Angeles, CA: (Jun-21-07) In a landmark court decision, a Los Angeles County judge ruled the state's interest in protecting minors from pedophile priests trumped the laws safeguarding the confidentiality of employee records. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by 25 molestation victims against the Franciscan Friars of California, alleging that they were sexually molested while they were students at St. Anthony's Seminary in Santa Barbara.
In a settlement reached, the Franciscan Friars of California agreed to pay $28 million to resolve allegations. As part of the settlement, the Franciscans agreed to publicly release the personnel files of nine pedophile priests, six of whom are still living. The intent of this provision was to warn the community about the extent to which the Franciscans turned a blind eye to sexual abuse that occurred at St. Anthony's and elsewhere in Santa Barbara. That provision was challenged in court by the six surviving Franciscans, who argued that they had the exclusive right to release the contents of their personnel records. Because they were never party to the settlement deal, they argued their records should remain closed. In a 22-page legal ruling, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter Lichtman disagreed, concluding that the rights of privacy must give way to the State's interest in protecting children from sexual abuse. [UNION TRIBUNE: PEDOPHILE PRIESTS]
Published on Jun-28-07
In a settlement reached, the Franciscan Friars of California agreed to pay $28 million to resolve allegations. As part of the settlement, the Franciscans agreed to publicly release the personnel files of nine pedophile priests, six of whom are still living. The intent of this provision was to warn the community about the extent to which the Franciscans turned a blind eye to sexual abuse that occurred at St. Anthony's and elsewhere in Santa Barbara. That provision was challenged in court by the six surviving Franciscans, who argued that they had the exclusive right to release the contents of their personnel records. Because they were never party to the settlement deal, they argued their records should remain closed. In a 22-page legal ruling, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter Lichtman disagreed, concluding that the rights of privacy must give way to the State's interest in protecting children from sexual abuse. [UNION TRIBUNE: PEDOPHILE PRIESTS]
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