Judge denies WA Attorney General’s request for Seattle Archdiocese records
News brief by FāVS News staff
A Washington judge sided with the Seattle Archdiocese against Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s request to seek records from the archdiocese. The ruling came down on July 12.
Ferguson wanted to enforce a subpoena asking for records from the church. He asserted they will show whether or not the Catholic Church used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse. Judge Michael Scott argued state law prevents them to interfere with religious practices.
Ferguson—also a Catholic — said his office will appeal the decision. He argued the exemption in the law did not cover “charitable trust money to conceal or facilitate sex abuse,” AP reported.
Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne wrote a response after Scott’s decision. In it, he clarified the church’s willingness to cooperate with the attorney general.
“We are committed to preventing abuse, promoting transparency and continuously improving our processes, my offer to collaborate with the attorney general still stands,” Etienne said.
Filing the case in May, Ferguson accused the church of obstructing the investigation by ignoring the subpoena.
AP reported the archdiocese called his allegations a surprise. The archdiocese stated they welcomed the investigation and shared the state’s goals of preventing abuse and aiding victims in healing.
Historically, sexual abuse investigations of the Catholic Church in the U.S. found information that went beyond what church officials voluntarily disclosed.
Currently, the archdiocese has published names of 83 clerics reliably accused of sexual abuse.
“Our fight for survivors of clergy abuse is not over,” Ferguson said in a news release. “Washingtonians deserve a full public accounting of the Church’s involvement in and responsibility for the child sexual abuse crisis.”
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