Archdiocese Trying to Keep Lid on Priest Abuse Lawsuit
A federal judge on Wednesday struck a compromise between attorneys for victims of abuse by former priest Daniel McCormack and defense attorneys for the Archdiocese of Chicago regarding confidentiality of court records.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is trying to prevent the names of witnesses and other documents in a priest sex-abuse lawsuit from becoming public before the trial, the Tribune reports.
The lawsuit is against McCormack, who was already found guilty in a criminal court of molesting several boys and was sentenced to five years in prison.
The plaintiff's attorney argued the names of witnesses of sexual abuse should be made a matter of public record. Attorneys for the Archdiocese objected, arguing to do so would essentially "out" the victims themselves.
Under the terms of the compromise, the Archdiocese can deem certain court documents "confidential," but plaintiffs are able to appeal to the judge within a grace period.
While the attorney for the victims calls it a "small roadblock" in further prosecuting cases of abuse possibly related to McCormack, members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests were disappointed in the ruling.
With the exception of names of actual victims, SNAP members wanted full transparency.
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