SEATTLE — A judge ruled July 12 that the Washington state attorney general does not have legal authority to enforce a subpoena for clergy abuse records against the Archdiocese of Seattle, specifically noting that the religious exemption in the state Charitable Trust Act stands.

While King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott sided with the archdiocese in the July 12 hearing, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said he still wants to work with the Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.  

“Sexual abuse in the Church is a heart-wrenching part of our history, and I am deeply sorry for the pain caused to victim survivors, their families and all Catholics,” Archbishop Etienne said in a statement after the ruling.

“While ironing out the legalities is important, I take no pleasure in today’s outcome,” the archbishop said. “Because we are committed to preventing abuse, promoting transparency and continuously improving our processes, my offer to collaborate with the attorney general still stands.”

After the hearing, Ferguson issued a statement saying his office plans to appeal the decision “because Washingtonians deserve a full public accounting of the Church’s involvement in and responsibility for the child sexual abuse crisis.”

Ferguson announced in May that he was asking a judge to force the archdiocese to turn over documents regarding clergy sexual abuse. He said he believes the archdiocese is not being transparent, and he wants to determine whether charitable dollars were used to cover up child sex abuse, which he said would violate the state’s Charitable Trust Act.

The archdiocese maintains that it has released files and documents it can share without violating victims’ privacy. In a July 11 statement, the archdiocese said that it “remains ready to work with the attorney general to identify relevant documents and ensure the necessary privacy of those harmed by abuse so that a lawful and reasonable investigation can take place.”

More stories

Archbishop wants to work with attorney general, but subpoena ‘too broad,’ violates religious exemption 

Attorney general takes archdiocese to court over clergy abuse documents; archdiocese says it has been cooperating 

Links

July 11 statement from archdiocese

Protect and Heal website: protect-seattlearchdiocese.org