Another Setback in Lawsuit Filed Against West Virginia Diocese

A creative lawsuit filed by West Virginia’s attorney general has hit another setback and we are disappointed that the efforts to force transparency and accountability against the Catholic Church in West Virginia has hit another hurdle.

The Supreme Court of West Virginia ruled 4-1 that a consumer protection law which A.G. Patrick Morrisey was using to force church officials to be open and honest about clergy abuse cannot be applied to church-run schools and camps. This case had previously been dismissed last November, but A.G. Morrisey refiled his case and continued to press forward, working to create a West Virginia where children are safer from the scourge of child sexual abuse.

This is a disappointing ruling and we find it disturbing that for victims that church officials will get away with lying to the public about clergy abuse, once again. We remain grateful to A.G. Morrisey for his tireless efforts and hope that his example will inspire other victims to come forward and other law enforcement officials to find creative angles to bring accountability and transparency to the Catholic Church in West Virginia.

CONTACT: Judy Jones, SNAP West Virginia ([email protected], 636-433-2511), Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

 


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  • Donald Walters
    followed this page 2020-11-20 15:48:31 -0600
  • Zach Hiner
    published this page in Official SNAP Media Statements 2020-11-19 13:02:18 -0600

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