Judge indicates he intends to make public priests' employment files
SAN FRANCISCO In a tentative ruling, a California judge says the employment files of Roman Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse should be made public. The order applies to the 160 consolidated civil cases against Northern California dioceses and will be the subject of a hearing Wednesday.
The documents are sought by news organizations arguing for public access to the internal church files of alleged pedophile priests.
In his tentative order, the judge (Ronald Sabraw) said the content of the employment files "is a matter of public concern and interest and outweighs privacy interests of the defendants." Medical and psychiatric records would remain confidential.
A final ruling will be issued after arguments by church, media and plaintiffs' attorneys.
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