California High Court Denies Review In Release of Clergy Abuse Files

According to the Washington Post, yesterday the California Supreme Court denied review in Doe 1 v. Franciscan Friars of California, Inc. In the case, a California appellate court held that pursuant to a settlement in a clergy sex abuse case, various confidential files of nine alleged perpetrators, six of whom are still alive, can be released to the public. (See prior posting.) An attorney representing the clergy said that release of the files will have a chilling effect in the future on clergy being willing to be honest with therapists about child molestation incidents.