One court to handle California clergy sex abuse civil suits

National Catholic Reporter, June 6, 2003 by Arthur Jones

Upwards of 300 civil lawsuits against four California dioceses for clerical sexual abuse will be handled in a single courtroom under the jurisdiction of one judge, according to a decision made May 28 by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle.

But no decision has been made yet on whether the Catholic church has a right to withhold documents on the grounds of priest-bishop confidentiality, a claim made by lawyers for the Los Angeles archdiocese, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The cases involve the archdiocese of Los Angeles and the dioceses of Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego. The San Diego diocese requested a separate hearing in a San Diego court for its and San Bernardino's potential suits. The request was denied. All cases will be heard in a Los Angeles court.

Criminal cases are still pending for 13 priests and a seminarian from the four dioceses.