CofA3 2007: L.A. Clergy Cases

Holiday Hiatus, some links for those long nights, see you in 2008

2007-12-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

City of Angels Blog is going on hiatus until early 2008, but before signing off here are some things to read:

From Tom Doyle’s letter re a "Mass of Remembrance for Sex Abuse Survivors" (that really is how they announced it, a Mass for dead survivors. . . ) which took place November 28 in Newton, Mass.

“One of the fundamental problems with our Catholic approach to serious problems is the belief that some form of liturgy will bring a solution. Many of us believe the only ones who come away from such rituals feeling satisfied are those who planned them or took part in them. The fallacy is that such events effect healing.

“How can you or anyone expect them to take a liturgy seriously when true pastoral care has not only been ignored but refused.

“These efforts would be better spent by the cardinals and bishops in Massachusetts and other States working hard for legislative reform that would enable all sex abuse victims, to find redress and justice in the courts

“Many of us see such ventures as hypocritical or worse, as a calculated attempt to drum up positive publicity for an institutional Church that has clearly failed.”

Church hierarchy ask of priest rape survivors: “What more do they want.”

“Basically they want complete honesty which includes a concentrated effort to comprehend just how horrendous and toxic the actual sexual abuse has been as well as the on-going official Church response. No liturgy whether it’s a Mass of Remembrance or the dramatic but ineffective gestures by Cardinal O’Malley over a year ago will work. It will take a fundamental change in attitude and clerical culture. We clerics must start acting as if the words of Jesus really mean something: “Whenever you did this to the least of my brothers [or sisters] you did it for me.”

ME: ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER SOME OF US CAN’T EVEN ENTER A CHURCH -- ANY SONGS IN MY BIBLE STUDY MEETINGS THAT SOUND LIKE OLD CATHOLIC HYMNS MAKE ME HAVE TO GET UP AND LEAVE THE ROOM

ME: I Say what we need are therapy centers all over the country on the same scale as treatment centers that coddled pedophile priests for decades. Saunas, massage, group and personal therapy -- months long stays -- at the church’s expense

That's what we deserve and need.
=====

Writing about the bishops’ propensity to issue statements about world affairs, in an article titled: “Catholic Bishops versus Grownups”

Eugene Cullen Kennedy, wrote November 18, 2007

“The bishops should examine themselves about the moral implications of the choices they have made, for example, about dealing with the sex-abuse crisis by church personnel. What can Catholics make of recent pronouncements by church leaders that seem like talking points rather than deeply held moral convictions?
----

And the
LA TIMES FINALLY GETS IT

BUT. . .

This was at the very end of a long article about the investigation that finally put Michael Baker in prison. From Sunday December 9th story by John Spano:

“Loffredo said the only person who knew about Baker and the boy was a nun who worked in the parish, according to the victim.

"Once, the nun had walked into Baker's second-story room and found them together, kissing. She left without saying a word.

“A week later, Loffredo and Scott interviewed the nun at a retirement home in the San Fernando Valley. She denied knowing anything about any abuse.

“On the drive back, Loffredo told Scott he thought she was lying.

"I bet she's already on the phone with [Cardinal Roger] Mahony," he said.

The next day, Loffredo received a letter from the archdiocese that correctly identified the victim.

Michael Hennigan, a lawyer for the archdiocese, confirmed that the church later provided detectives with the man's correct surname. He said the church did not deliberately mislead investigators. Asked about detectives' assertion that church officials had not interviewed the victim or his family, he said: "I'm not aware of any reason why church officials would have . . . said they had interviewed people they had not interviewed."
=====

You can spend a week or so at either of these sites reading: (Copy and paste address into your search engine, I can't figure out how to get links in here.)

http://reform-network.net/

Voice from the Desert

Or

http://www.renegadecatholic.com/

for Jay Nelson’s collective writings

======

PLUS: CROSSES

Excerpts from “Crosses” published in 2007 are at:

http://www.trolleyarchive.com/Production/PhotoGroupView.aspx?pbid=4&msa=1&pgid=10734927

This one too

http://www.trolleyarchive.com/Default.aspx

"Crosses" is photos and life stories of a selection of survivors from around the country.

====
I’m going to spend the holiday season in a kind of spiritual pursuit, mainly because I NEED TO CALM DOWN so bad.

Also I need to reposition. The blog will continue at:

http://cityofangels4.blogspot.com

Hopefully with more art and possibly video next year.

Maybe I'll finally figure out how to make links link in this blog as well. . .

Enjoy the season and, me, I’m going to catch some Zzz’s like a beat. Rest up.

It’s likely there are thousands more crime victims of pedophile priests in LA, considering case #BC307934 alone

2007-12-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
My sister in is a news junkie. Every morning she goes out and walks up Haight St. to get the NY Times, the Chronicle, and a stack of the free dailies they have in San Francisco. Yet until we talked last week, she had never even heard about the one-year window in 2003 that allowed persons in California to file lawsuits against the Catholic Church, no matter how many years or decades back their rape by pedophile priests took place.

California Seminarians recruited boys into the priesthood and pedophilia at the same time. The older pedophiles developed younger pedophiles who then became parish priests around Southern California. Church hierarchy did not just allow pedophilia to take place, but they regularly promoted known perpetrators to high places in Education, Recruiting, and Advocacy, with titles such as Director of the Office of Family Life.

Known California pedophile priests instead of going to prisons, got new assignments where they’d have even more access to children, and more freedom to propagate their crimes. There was more going on here than benevolent neglect.

A quick read of just one complaint filed in the LA clergy cases leaves one thinking there are probably thousands more crime victims of Baker, Rucker, Boyer, Wempe, Loomis, Martini, Miani, Roemer, Hagenbach, Reilly, Burbank, Caffoe, Henry, Miani, Rodriguez, Falvey and the other Jesuits at Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood -- the list of perpetrator priests is lo-o-o-o-o-ong in LA alone.

Here are excerpts from the original complaint for just one of the 506 LA cases, written by plaintiff attorney Tony DeMarco of Kiesel, Boucher & Larson.

DeMarco, by the way, got a bachelor’s degree in Journalism before going on to law school. . .

===
Quotes from the Complaint # BC307934, filed December 17, 2003:

From 1955 through 2002 at least 28 high ranking priests within the LA Archdiocese inner circle who have been accused or convicted of sex abuse, occupied the highest positions.

Well placed priests including Bishops Juan Arzube and G. Patrick Ziemann “used their prominence in the archdiocese administration to cover up for other priests.

Priests involved in education such as Leland Boyer and Gerald Fessard utilized their positions of authority to gain access to victims and then to funnel the children they molested into seminaries and the priesthood.

These 26 priests and likely many others occupied positions such as Auxiliary Bishops, Vicar for Clergy, Vicars General, deans, and teachers at local seminaries and as recruiters for seminaries.

The elevation of child molesters to these positions helps explain why so many child molesting priests were protected by the Defendant Doe Archdiocese, how so many child molesters became priests, and how so many seminarians and priests became child molesters.

THE PRESENCE OF SUCH A HIGH NUMBER OF MOLESTERS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE underscores the institutional and cultural acceptance and acquiescence that is concordant with the systematic failure of the Defendant Doe Archdiocese to take appropriate action to prevent further abuse.

EDUCATION:

Child molester priests congregated in three arms of archdiocesan religious education. Administrators, faculty at the Junior Seminary, members of the Cocations Commission who acted as recruiters for Junior and Major Seminaries.

In these capacities child molester priests had increased opportunities to seek out additional victims who they then steered into the seminary.

Once they were preyed upon and, for too many, inculcated into a perverse lifestyle, the only thing unacceptable about molesting children was being caught by someone that might complain.

There can be little doubt that this systematic molestation of children at the seminaries, grade schools and parishes, was known within the community of priests. Fellow priests did nothing to prevent the continuation of abuse because they themselves were molesting, or they feared reprisal from the high ranking priests who were child molesters.

More after this:

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The complaint gives short bios on the following priests:

Leland Boyer
Joseph Sharpe
G. Patrick Ziemann
Gerald Fessard
Edward Dober
Richard Martini
John Farris
John Dougherty
Stephen Hernandez
Fidencio Silva
Patrick Roemer

All of these were associated with Our Lady Queen of Angels Junior Seminary

MORE FROM COMPLAINT:

For much if not all of this time the Defendant Doe Archdiocese and the Vatican have been aware of priests’ sexual improprieties with young boys.

In his capacity as Auxiliary Bishop, Arzube exercised extraordinary influence in promoting other pedophiles within the priesthood and in aiding coverups and transfers of molesting priests. One such molester that Arzube had a direct part in promoting was Joseph Pina, who for many years served at St. Alphonsus parish in Los Angeles.

Also:

Richard Loomis: Vicar for Clergy, received complaints re priests.

Clinton Hagenbach:

Not less than 11 children at several different parishes and hospitals that were molested by Clinton Hagenbach throughout his career have come forward. At his parish assignment, Hagenbach regularly had boys alone with him in his rectory bedroom in which he maintained a fraternity house like environment that was obvious to parish staff and fellow priests. In 1978 he joined McLaughlin, the pastor at his parish, as an

(Hagenbach in 1981 was) elevated to being a Judge in the Synodal Tribunals of the defendant Doe Archdiocese, where he remained until 1986 shortly before his death.

Several other priests are listed:

Thomas Havel

Michael Wempe - Scores of children who were molested by Father Michael Wempe throughout the late 1960s through the 1980s have come forward. In the late 1960s Wempe was made an “Advocate and Notary for the Archdiocese Courts.”

Peter Garcia
George Scott
David Cousineau
George Gunst

All elevated to high positions

Theodore Llanos - was not removed after complaints were raised in the 1970s and 1980s. Rather in the early 1990s he was elevated to the personnel board.

On the Personnel Board Llanos could influence decisions regarding whether child molester priests should go to treatment or evaluation, whether they should be removed, or transferred, and if so to where.

Louis Stallkamp

Micahael Baker - after returning from Jemez Springs for treatment assigned to the Office of Vicar for Clergy under his friend timothy Dyer who was Vicar for Clergy.

Rene Carlos Rodriguez

After complaints about abuse of 4 children he was promoted to Director of the Office of Family Life in Santa Barbara for the Los Angeles archdiocese. “in that post he had regular contact with Catholic families and children, often visiting them in their homes.”

In at least one case “Rodriguez molested the three -- brothers 1988 - 1994

On page 41 of 47 of the complaint: Conclusions

“As a result of dangerous conditions created by Defendant Archdiocese Defendant Does 2 - 16

“The sexual abuse of plaintiffs by the perpetrators arose from, was incidental to, and was in the course and scope of the Perpatrators influence with defendant archdiocese, Defendant Doe Schools, parishes and orders and Doe’s 16 - 1000

(YES, IN THIS ONE COMPLAINT THERE WERE ONE THOUSAND DEFENDANT DOE’S.)

“And each of these Defendants ratified or approved of that sexual contact.

(At all times Defendants) knew that the Perpetrators had a history of committing sexual assaults against children and that any child at, among other locations, Defendant Does 2-16 schools and parishes, and hospitals, were at risk to be sexually assaulted by the Perpetrators.

Archdiocese “Knew or should have known children were at risk to be sexually assaulted.”

More to come. . .

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New dates for Salesians cases, but Salesian victims get their checks with the rest of LA plaintiffs

2007-12-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
April 14 and August 25, 2008 are new jury trial dates for LA civil cases regarding the Salesians religious order, in Judge Emilie Elias' court, Division 310.

However, LA plaintiff attorneys, savvy from watching the Salesians’ past performance avoiding final justice, negotiated payments for the 17 Salesian related plaintiffs to be part of the total LA settlement. In other words the 17 Salesian victims whose cases go to trial in 2008, did get settlement checks this week with the rest of the LA plaintiffs.

“The Archbishop is to pay an average of $1.502 million to each of the 17 plaintiffs with claims against the Salesians,” as spelled out in Judge Haley Fromholz’ final order regarding the Clergy Cases, November 27th.

Attorneys for the Salesians last week tried to hold up all 506 payments to LA plaintiffs, but even the LA Archdiocese wouldn't stoop that low. “The Archbishop states that the $1.502 million amount is fair in light of what plaintiffs have received as jury verdicts in clergy abuse cases.”

More to come. . .

'We are not done,' said the LA DA. No wonder people want to beat up Mahony when they see him on the street

2007-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
After Michael Baker’s sentencing Monday, the DA said, “I have reason to believe there are other victims who have not identified themselves to law enforcement, or to our office. I hope those victims will be willing to disclose to sheriff’s investigators what happened to them.”

In other words if we want Baker to stay in prison longer than two years, and other priests and hierarchy to join him, more victims have to come forward and talk to the Target Crimes division of the DA’s office.

Meanwhile, it's no wonder people want to beat up Roger Mahony when they see him on the street, after watching the Cardinal orchestrate limp justice in the clergy cases the past five years.

Former priest Michael Baker, who preyed on Southern California and Arizona parishes for decades, looked healthy and happy in court Monday as he was sentenced to 10 years 8 months, knowing that with time off for good behavior he’d be out in about two years. Baker was clean and fresh, serene, self-assured. Plus his sentencing was cut and dried, a bureaucratic procedure really. For the first hour or so a prosecutor stood at a podium droning out rote wording, “You will report to your parole officer within five days of your release, you will report every time you change addresses.”

Baker got away with brutally raping little boys on church grounds, even after he’d been ordered to stay away from children. Will California’s wimpy criminal justice system keep him down? Will “a couple” years in a California leisure prison reform Michael Baker?

At the press conference after Baker’s sentencing, it was the lone broke blogger, me, with my Goodwill tape recorder that, yes, worked -- in a room full of mainstream media reporters -- it was the broke blogger who asked the tough questions. When I realized the rest of them had no idea what to ask, I piped in:

“Now that we know Mahony lied under oath in depositions, since what he said does not match up with the truth that's come out in civil case documents, and now that we see he continued to transfer Baker and other known predator priests to parish after parish,

“When are you going to indict Cardinal Mahony?

A laugh trickled around the press room but I wasn’t joking. DA William Hodgman, seemed surprised at the question at first. He chuckled too, then answered, “We have to follow the evidence and we will go where the evidence takes us.”

He added: “As far as cases in the future, we are not done.”

Every time I see Hodgman I get a visceral reaction. Sorry, but I can’t help it. Hodgman headed the OJ Simpson prosecution, his face was on Court TV as we all watched OJ get off for murder. OJ walked out of court a free man with much the same saunter as Michael Baker’s lilted gait as he left court Monday afternoon.

Unless more Baker victims come forward and talk to the DA, Baker will be a free man in “a couple years” Hodgman said.

Hodgman said., “All along the way despite popular sentiments, we have to be ethical, we have to be professional, and we have to proceed responsibly. To date we have brought cases where ethically we could have brought cases, and where we have cases where we have the evidence to do so--“

(I’m reminded of Marcia Clark’s endless droning in long drawn out sentences that didn’t say anything throughout OJ’s prosecution.)

Hodgman, cont’d.: “The Baker case is a fine example. The sheriff’s department did an amazing job. The sheriff did an amazing job with follow through with the investigation, developing the corroborative evidence that we needed so we could bring the Baker case.

“As far as cases in the future, we are not done. Our work is not done.”

“As far as cases in the future, we are not done. Our work is not done.”

Hodgman repeated that. He WANTS more crime victims to come forward. He wants to slap Baker and others with more charges and keep them in prison for more years.

He needs more victims to come forward. We need more victims to come forward.

Hodgman: “I have to be necessarily circumspect about where we will go. But I can tell you this, we will be consistent like we've been before.

More on Baker and Mahony after this:

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Most likely Baker will go to a privately financed leisure prison.

In California thanks to overcrowding and a totally out of whack justice system, a guy who sells a bag of crack to feed his habit does hard time for ten years -- but if you have money you can pay your own way and go to an “outsourced to the private sector” leisure prison.

California prisons are so crowded there can be 110 men sleeping in what used to be a utility room, with cots on the floor and true Third World hygiene conditions -- (You know someone is dead by the blood spilling out on the floor).

However, in California, because of the overcrowded public prisons, and our Third World Economy and current power structure, people with money--

Like former priest. Michael Stephen Baker,

almost always go to private prisons, where they pay their own way.

These are the prisons where the guys play tennis and cook their own gourmet food

That's where people with money go to serve prison terms in California --

CARDINAL MAHONY, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT but that people will want to attack you when they see you?

When you play PR games with the justice system.

You take part in a national legal strategy that causes a SMALL FRACTION of your church's crime victims to be able to come forward and go through legal processes and you pay them with

puny portions of your church’s fortune.

At the same time the Catholic PR machine puts out a major lie in the national and international media--

Mahony has said, “We hope these victims can now find closure.” He and the rest of church hierarchy now want to turn their backs on all of us, including the thousands who never filed lawsuits and haven’t been able to file criminal charges.

Mahony thinks he can go back to business as usual.

Cardinal M,

YOU ALLOWED little boys to be brutally raped, forcibly sodomized with their screams muffled in your priestly garments shoved in their faces.

YOU PROTECTED predator priests and let children leave your rectories with blood draining from their bodies.

YOU DID NOTHING

And when there was a chance to come forward and admit your crimes and face the public with humility, instead you lied.

You hired legions (actually lesions) of criminal corporate attorneys to protect the assets and asses of Catholic hierarchy, including yourself.

WITH NO CONCERN AT ALL FOR YOUR CHURCH'S CRIME VICTIMS

You showed how shallow is your apology by the way you apologized last July, to microphones, not to human beings.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? I think even me, with my crippled nerves and lowered upper body strength.

Mr. Mahony, if I saw you unprotected on a street I’d probably pick up the first heavy object I could find and slam you over the head myself.

THAT is the kind of wrath you have incurred in people

BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID.

What did you expect.

Better lay low for the rest of your life.

OR COME CLEAN and admit what you did

And let the whole story come out.

Every time there’s a settlement before a trial, the only one who really wins is the archdiocese that made the settlement.

BUT THE CRIMINALS ARE STILL IN THE HIERARCHY sipping sherry in very luxurious private rooms, chuckling over what they just pulled off and thinking they got away with.

They didn't.

More from the press conference after this:

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Have a cosmic experience, an ethereal renewal. Click the PayPal button at the top of the left hand column to subscribe to City of Angels Blog 21st Century Style. Send any amount of money you want to my PayPal account for “Readership” to keep the blog and the blog’s producer alive. Also every time you click on a Google ad I make something like 2 cents so Click, click, click.
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Here are my crude notes:

Hodgman: “We're going to proceed ethically, we're going to proceed professionally and we will go where the competent evidence takes us.”

Hodgman: I feel Baker’s sentencing is fair. Our two charge victims were spared the ordeal of having to go through a trial being subject to cross examination and to some degree all that goes along with having to talk about very private things in a very public forum.

So I think the disposition, the sentencing, was very fair. We had to give up something, the defense through their attorneys had to give up something. And it was a fair resolution to the case.

Hodgman, answering a reporter’s question re one of the John Doe’: “There was evidence of trips that were taken by the victim to bring him close to the defendant, but actually it was a family that moved into the vicinity of a parish in Pico Rivera and the then Father Baker befriended the family. There was a number of children. The family turned toward him and that's how it all began.

REPORTER: WHERE WAS HE WHEN THESE TWO SETS OF CRIMES TOOK PLACE

Hodgman: Well that is a little bit difficult to re-create, given where he was during the charges, when the two victims were between 14 and 18. Part of the period of time was at St. Columbkille Parish which is in Los Angeles. And part of the time when he was in the rectory at St. Camillus (de Lellis, Los Angeles). The rectory at St. Camillus.

There were other assignments during that time period as well. (He refers reporter to report from the people of God available at bishop accountability dot org and numerous other places.)

ME: HOW MUCH TIME WILL HE ACTUALLY SERVE, AND WHERE?

“In terms of where he’s going to go, we're not sure, that's up to the Department of Corrections. In terms of actual time, he, of course, gets credit for the time he spent in custody, which is now about 22 months, a little bit more, then if he, in a sense, keeps his nose clean in prison, he will be entitled to 50 percent credits, they do what they call good time work time credits.

Hodgman: “So it appears to be like a couple more years.”

MARY GRANT- will this make it easier for other victims of Baker if there are any, and what would you say to them now if a victim came forward?

HODGMAN: “Well first of all I have reason to believe there are other victims of Baker who have not identified themselves to law enforcement, or to our office. And I would hope that those victims would follow the path of John Doe and John Doe 2 which took a tremendous amount of courage, to be willing to disclose to these investigators what had happened to them.

“Specifically with regard to John Doe 2, the drama and dynamics of how he disclosed to the sheriff’s investigators probably will never come to light, but I can tell you for those who were there it was very, very profound.

“Victim Number Two had never disclosed to anyone prior to being contacted by our sheriff’s investigators, what had happened to him. And it was very emotional, very profound, and even for seasoned investigators an experience that they will never ever forget.

“I hope that other victims not only of Baker but other clergy sex abuse victims will have that same sort of strength and courage to come forward and speak to law enforcement, because the district attorney’s office will be there, as I stated.

“We will go where the evidence takes us. If there’s evidence of crimes that we can charge and prosecute, we will charge them and we will prosecute them.

JOHN SPANO (LA TIMES): How much longer do you think the investigation will last ?

John, I’ve given up any hope of trying to quantify that. In the spring of 2002 I anticipated a couple of years. It’s been well over five and a half years now so I think we will simply follow the evidence. If new evidence turns up at my doorstep tomorrow, then we're going to follow it and off we go again.

SPANO: Any new evidence since the Baker case last year that led to these charges?

HODGMAN: Yes, we have been at work in ways that we can’t address publicly but yes, new evidence has been gathered.

More to Come. . .

‘You're not worth the spit on the sidewalk.’ Victims speak at Baker’s sentencing: For nine counts he gets ten years of which he'll serve two

2007-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

Ex-priest Michael Baker did not seem like a guilty man facing a just penance as he sauntered out of court Monday afternoon. Several victims at his sentencing observed he looked more like a guy leaving a business meeting, a successful one. Baker shook hands “so long” with his attorneys and left court with a lilt in his gait. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for oral copulation of two boys under age 18, but at a press conference after the hearing, Deputy District Attorney William Hodgman, calculated the amount of time Baker will actually serve.

“If he, in a sense, keeps his nose clean in prison, he will be entitled to 50 percent credits, that's good time and work time credits,” said Hodgman, who is head of target crimes in LA County.

“It appears the amount he will serve will be like a couple more years,” Hodgman said.

Baker gets 717 days served and work time, totaling 1075 days credit. Baker looked well fed and rested from his stay in LA county jail.

DA Michael Beart informed the slouching former priest that he’d have to register as a sex offender five days after release.

Baker’s face revealed he was already scheming what he’ll do when he gets out.

The former priest predator kept a little pout on his mouth, and as the hearing progressed the left side of his lips drooped into a half frown. His eyes were half lidded eyes, he was only half there, as several crime victims came forward to make impact statements, revealing how much he cared.

Baker appearance was crisp. He was fresh coiffed, with a trimmed beard, making him look like a college professor, even in his orange jumpsuit. Quite a change from last time he was in court almost one year ago, when his hair was long and shaggy, silver and grey blending in with a scraggly months growth of beard.

He’d glare out from the prisoners’ security bin with a scowl, eyes blazing like a madman.

Today Baker looked like a sedated TV preacher with plans for a quick comeback after prison.

Before the victims could speak, Donald Steier, main defense attorney for pedophile priests in LA, jumped up to say, “We are not waiving any finding of unconstitutionality in the future,” which made even the judge go quizzical and respond with, why are you saying that now? We can't even consider that here.

Why did Steier feel he needed to specify some future challenge of Baker’s conviction?

Then the victim impact statements began, read more after this.

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Have a cosmic experience, an ethereal renewal. Click the PayPal button at the top of the left hand column to subscribe to City of Angels Blog 21st Century Style. Send any amount of money you want to my PayPal account for “Readership” to keep the blog and the blog’s producer alive. Also every time you click on a Google ad I make something like 2 cents.
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(A quick transcript of victim impact statements from Baker’s sentencing hearing will be at http://cityofangels7.blogspot.com/ by tomorrow morning.)

“In 1976 when Michael Stephen Baker entered my life I was nine years old,” said Matt Severson, first Baker victim to speak. “He paid a lot of attention to me and the other young boys, tickling us. His tickling felt different to me, but I didn't want to say anything.”

Baker held Matt and his mother “in his grip” a good nine years. Then Matt, a senior in high school, was able to break away.

“I was still under the impression it was all my fault,” Severson said. “Father Mike was sending me checks in the mail which made me still feel complicit and guilty.”

“If a criminal case had been pursued by all of us he’d be in prison the rest of his life,” said Severson. “Now as a 60 year old priest, going to prison for a few years will not be good.”

“This is a day I’ll never forget,” Matt Severson said in closing.

Mary Grant then spoke “on behalf of survivors of Baker and part of a support group we all belong to.”

Almost tentatively Grant thanked "the DA's office for pursuing these charges," and added "But lives won’t be repaired, they won’t get their childhoods back.

"10 years is not enough."

Grant said, “At this point, with you being sentenced, the five and a half years these victims went through didn't have to happen. It didn't have to happen.”

Then Vicki Martin got up to speak for David D, a Baker victim, who couldn't be in court that day:

“Father Baker is a monster,” Martin said staring Baker in the face. The convicted pedophile stayed in one position, with his half-lidded frown, and stared back.

Martin said, “Baker posed himself as a man of god and his intentions were evil. He robbed so many children of innocence -- and David D wants the court to know this fact.

“Baker forced David into a motel room and sodomized him while pushing David D’s face into the pillows to muffle his screams.

“David wanted to scream at Baker now in court,” Vicki Martin stated to Baker’s face.

Baker barely blinked.

She went on: “People are told to forgive, but forgiveness is a cheap grace when the person to be pardoned is not sorry.”

“He’s only sorry he got caught, Martin said and Baker stared straight back at her.

Next speaker was a child, and photographers were ordered to stop taking pictures. The daughter of victim Dominic Zamora came forward.

As she approached the mike her eyes and mouth twisted in anger, like an adult woman who’d battled years of trauma, startling to see on her 12-year-old face.

“YOU HAVE RUINED not only my life but my father’s life and there’s no way that we'll ever forgive you. You have caused my father to be in a gang, do drugs, and become an alcoholic. We will never forgive you.” Dominic stood behind her and walked her back to her seat.

Flames came out of Dominic’s mother Virginia Zamora's mouth as she spoke next:

“Baker, I have no words to call you father or priest. You took an oath and you knew right from wrong better than we did.”

Virginia Zamora's voice filled the room.

“You know who I am,” she said in a slow melody. “I am your worst nightmare. I sentence you to live in prison.

“Do you remember me?” She grinned and snarled at him. “Yes you do. You remember me.” She nodded. “I give you life.”

Baker's other attorney Leonard Levine was blocking my view of the defendant.

“You think because you wore a costume that you were immune, no. And that's all it was a costume.

“You made the children suffer, you took my life away,” Virginia Zomora continued.

“You're not even worth the spit on the sidewalk and you think because you go in there and grin that nobody will touch you?

“I’m sorry mister, you know where you're going after here, you're going right to hell with Satan. You and the rest of your pact. May god have mercy on your soul.”

I had to practically lie down in my seat to see Michael Baker hiding behind Levine. The former Father Mike, didn't blink.

Then Frank Zamora, Dominic’s father, spoke in a calm, even voice:

“Why did you ruin so many lives? There are so many marriages you broke up and you destroyed so many kids, especially the ones that committed suicide.

“Here I have a picture of you holding my son.

“I have a picture here of you in my home.

“Because we invited you.

“Because we trusted you.

“We thought the safest place for our children would be in the church.

“My son now only has 10 percent of his liver. We don’t know if he’s going to live until next year. He’s living day-to-day and it’s all because of you.”

With shaking self control, Frank Zamora stared straight at Baker and said, “You made my son lose his faith and as it says in the Bible it’s better you put a milestone around your neck.

At this point Baker actually looked scared, he just gave a glimmer of fear.

Then he turned to confer with his lawyer Donald Steier and the expression on the ex-priest's face was “Why do I have to go through this?”

James Brown, a friend of Mike, another of Baker’s victims, then spoke:

“As I was growing up with Mike I noticed he was having a lot of social problems. I’m a paramedic now and I always knew Mike had a drive to help people but he had a problem.

“There was something he was hiding. He got into drugs, and it affected his friendships. Twenty years passed and he finally started to talk about what had happened. He started to fix himself. He’s getting help.”

“This is the first time I’ve met this man Baker,” Brown said. He stared at Baker: “You're going to have to meet your maker.”

The look on Baker’s face said, yeah, I’ll go to confession before I die, take care of that, no problem.

Aside from the left side of his mouth drooping lower into a frown (the right side of his mouth staying in an emotion-free line), Baker’s expression was mostly mute, blank, reflecting little but for a glint in the eye (I may never write for mainstream media but thank God as I’d never be able to say in the Times what I say here.)

Baker’s white bushy eyebrows jutted down towards the center of his face in a look of concern and anguish he probably practiced in front of a mirror for hours.

Baker held the same slouchy position throughout the hearing, being, in my observation, about as sincere as he probably was when he was hearing confessions from some of his victims when they were children, in the 1980s and 90s all over LA.

Roger Mahony transfered Baker 18 times in the convicted preist's career, with several months-long stays for Baker at Servants of the Paraclete, before he was finally defrocked.

The judge closed the sentencing hearing said, "This is a compromise but considering the pain and suffering that would have come with the trial, we've saved the victims future anguish.”

Right.

What Hodgman had to say about Mahony in a post coming shortly.

(A quick transcript of victims impact statements from Baker’s sentencing hearing will be at http://cityofangels7.blogspot.com/ by tomorrow morning.)

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Judge Haley Fromholz, retiring this week, issues one last order to stop Salesians from holding up entire LA settlement

2007-11-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

Judge Haley Fromholz retires this week and his last act in the Clergy Cases was to stop the Salesians from holding up all 500-plus payments in the $660 million settlement with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

In a hearing Tuesday afternoon in Fromholz’ court, attorneys for Salesians Religious Order were denied their motion against the July settlement. Salesians argued the payout will be illegal as it includes payment to the 17 cases involving their religious order which are yet to be resolved, because the Salesians refused to settle. The judge shot them down one last time.

In the courtroom yesterday it was Hennigan’s firm for the Archdiocese on the defense against Steve McFeely and Robert Leventhal from Foley & Lardner for the Salesians. Several plaintiff attorneys were in the viewing area, occasionally jumping up to join the fray in front of the judge.

Tony DeMarco, plaintiff liaison, explained: the archdiocese is guaranteeing payment of the 17 Salesian cases “but plaintiffs are still obliged” to go forward pursuing their case against the religious order. The settlement as it is written is “a guarantee of payment by the archdiocese.” He added that the checks will go out to all the LA plaintiffs soon after December 1st.

The Salesians can better understand by watching more daytime TV. You know, like the commercials for pre-settlement loans, the archdiocese is saying: “If, and only if, you are successful with your case will you be required to repay ---. If you lose your case, you would owe us nothing!”

Judge Fromholz issued a 15-page tentative order, for one last time taking apart an already specious argument put forth by a church attorney. The Salesians continue a marathon of motions to obstruct progress toward the jury trial for their 17 cases, which was supposed to begin November 5.

City of Angels predicts the Salesians cases jury trial will just be beginning two years from now November 5, 2009, and McFeely will lose 20 more pounds from all that tap dancing.

Goodbye, Judge Fromholz, enjoy your retirement, and thank you for all your hard work.

My favorite part of Judge Haley Fromholz’ November 27 order was on Page 3:

“Further complicating matters is the fact that the Salesians ‘overlooked’ an email containing the revised agreement, and consequently did not address the revised agreement in their opposition brief.”

Judge Fromholz writes on Page 1 of the November 27 tentative:

“The Settlement Agreement provides that the Archbishop will make a payment of $504 million by December 1, 2007, a second payment of $28 million by March 25, 2008, and a potential third payment of $128 million five years after the effective date of the Agreement.

“This third payment is to be reduced by the amount received by the plaintiffs from non-settling defendants.”

So there really was no need for the hearing yesterday.

That didn't stop Robert Leventhal for the Salesians from saying, “The Salesians should be captains of their ship.” He stood up and declared that at least seven times. “The archdiocese is captain of its ship and is allowed to settle for whatever amount it wants to pay. Just like they are captains of their own ship, the Salesians likewise should be captains of their ship.”

Leventhal went on a good 15 minutes saying:

The archdiocese has no right to seek comparative indemnity for amounts it paid for several claims

It has no right to impede the Salesians’ ability to settle its own claims

There are No joint interests

The settlement agreement violates law and public policy

The archdiocese has no right to decide the amount of claims against Salesians.

Most of the time Leventhal slipped into a babble of corporate insurance gobbled language:

Can’t agree to third party ownership of claims with several indemnity, claims to right damages not subject to assignment under California law -- claims with several liabilities not intended for joint liability claims -- blah-blah-blah insurance liability indemnity co-joint -- several indemnity claims to right damages not subject to assignment under California law

Such is the state of corporate religion in America today.

More from Leventhal after this:

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Leventhal went so far as to say:

“The plaintiffs are serving as the archdiocese’s front man and we need to be able to have meaningful face-to-face negotiations with them without the archdiocese being involved.

“And we should be the captain of our ship --

Before the hearing could begin there was a good hour of argument whether they should even be there in the first place. Since the Salesian jury trial was transferred earlier this month to the courtroom of Judge Emilie H. Elias which is in a whole different part of town, there was some confusion. Just as I walked in Steve McFeely was chiming out, “I want to be clear, judge, I’m talking about the meetings with Judge Elias and liaison council, we weren’t even there.”

Judge Haley Fromholz: The result wouldn't have been any different. Judge Elias didn't feel she was in a position to hear the motion and wouldn't be for a reasonable time. So the chief justice restored the cases to me through the 27th.

Goodbye, Judge Fromholz, and it's been a pleasure watching you work.

Cards can be mailed to:

Judge Haley Fromholz,
LA Superior Court Department 20
111 North Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fromholz’ 15-page tentative will most likely be his last Order in the Clergy Cases I, II, and III. Now the dog and pony show that is Steve McFeely and Robert Leventhal from Foley & Lardner defending the Salesians against those pesky 17 plaintiffs moves to Dept. 308, Central Civil West Courthouse, 600 South Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles, Judge Emilie H. Elias and no one knows where the documents will be located for public viewing.

But in civil cases the documents are open to the public.

The CCW Courthouse is the one just off Wilshire near Lafayette Park. City of Angels is studying the Metro schedule and will be there next week.

Gotta go back to my other job now
More to Come. . .

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Dear Cardinal George: Please take my call

2007-11-26T23:16:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

I have new hope with Cardinal Francis George stepping in as President of the American bishops, either new hope or I’m totally spun by the Roman Catholic Church PR machine. We'll see.

What gave me this hope was a show of spontaneity by George as reported by John Allen in National Catholic Reporter November 20th: The John Jay Report had just excused pedophilia in the church as no worse than in other places, plus free love in the sixties is the real culprit. Allen wrote, “Just as the session was drawing to a close, George, unprompted, signaled that he wanted to add something.” George said:

"The question is whether or not the church herself, particularly priests and bishops, should be held to a moral standard higher than the general populace. Is religion an independent variable? Or is it simply reduced to a cultural reality? If that's the case, secularists shouldn't be disturbed about religion, because it has nothing original to say anyway, and it's not going to impose itself on anybody's behavior.”

Cardinal George can show he has something original to say by taking my call next week.

You see, a few weeks back my landlord, Whiplash West tried to scare my daughter and me into moving so he could cash in on LA’s fired up rental market. I was in a frenzy until I got hold of LA legal aid. For the first time in my life, I think, I experienced the RUSH of getting help from an attorney. Endorphins all over me -- I wanted more.

So I jumped on the phone next day and tried for the seventeenth time at least to get a legal case going in Chicago for the abuse my sister and I went through there at the hands of a dilettante priest Father Thomas B. Horney c.1950-55.

But I ran up against the Statute of Repose. Didn't get that endorphin rush for my case after all. Still there’s hope in Cardinal George: More after this.

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The Statute Of Repose
It sounds like it would be good, but. . .

In spite of my renewed legal pursuits, we face not only the statute of limitations but also

The statute of repose

With the SOL there’s always wiggle room, a way to add a year or a month or two, up to a certain point.

Then it’s, lady, look in the mirror, see how old these allegations are. THAT'S ENOUGH already.

Our perp, Father Horney, died in the 1980s -- he got us going in the late forties early fifties when we were preschoolers, and neither my sister nor I stopped until around 1993. Today she and I are both dotty old ladies with wavering memories -- plus I don't know if I want a church attorney barking at me --

in my face

Wanting to know details of my sex life from 1955 on,

etcetera. . . .

HOWEVER,

As several attorneys in Chicago told me last couple weeks

I can still contact the Chicago Archdiocese Office of Victims Assistance. See I need therapy.

I used to say writing the blog was therapy
Now I may need therapy because of writing the blog.

I can’t stop writing the blog though, because I’m not really writing it. It’s a motor generating inside me and I can’t stop it. This stuff will keep me awake all night unless I write it and post it.

It’s a kind of weird karma -- Penance on Earth.

So

Another quote from Cardinal Francis George in the National Catholic Reporter story: “The media not only report, they also select, and in that sense they create a reality.”

(Me: Huh? Did Francis Cardinal George spend time with Tim Leary in the sixties?)

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Yes The Media Do Create Reality --
Especially in the Wide Open World of the Web and Blogs.

Especially New Media like Blogs
Anything goes here. I mean:

The Cardinal was born in Chicago to Francis J. and Julia R. McCarthy George,

Charles McCarthy my uncle was born in Chicago

My dad was born in Chicago -- his name was George. . .

Three degrees of separation . . . and apply some wicca philosophy to it.

I did spend time with Timothy Leary in the sixties.

OPEN QUESTION TO CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE

Can the Archdiocese of Chicago help? Can we tell you our stories and how they lead us to have the needs we have today that the archdioceses can provide --

And set up recovery centers around the country for survivors?

Can the Chicago Archdiocese set an example for the rest of the country, now that the Chicago bishop is president of the American bishops,

In the name and my sister and me,

Show that the Catholic Church can be “Held to a moral standard higher than the general populace”?

Can we approach the archdiocese with our story and get results, even if our cases don’t fall within “general populace” law?

The Chicago Archdiocese victims assistance ministry office at 312 -- 751-5205 has a new director, Matt Honeycutt.

I’m going to call next week to see if they are interested in helping me and my sister or better yet all the thousands of survivors who can’t file lawsuits, all over the country, who still need help.

We'll see.

The Archbishop of Chicago was made president of the American bishops in November 2007 and he seems to be able to think on his feet.

The first week of December seems like a good time to call.

So, Here’s my idea in advance, Cardinal George.
Therapy for the crime victims at least as good as the church provided for the criminals

The American Catholic Church can create regional recovery centers with all the therapies and treatments given to perpetrator priests -- recovery centers of the same caliber as the Paracletes in New Mexico, but for the priest rape victims.

Therapy for the victims, not the criminals.

God knows we need it worse than the perpetrator priests do. . . .

Cardinal George, I need six months in a spa . . . so do a lot of my fellow “survivors”

Stay tuned to see what happens when I call.

=====

AS TO SNIDELY WHIPLASH WEST: I dedicate the following to my Beverly Hills slumlord:

KILL MY LANDLORD

By Tyrone Greene
As performed by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live c. 1981

Dark and lonely on a summer's night
Kill my landlord
Kill my landlord
Watchdog barking
Do he bite?
Kill my landlord
Kill my landlord
Slip in his window
Break his neck
Then his house
I start to wreck
Got no reason
What the heck
Kill my Landlord
Kill my landlord
C-I-L-L
my l a n d l o r d

====

Just Kidding
I don't plan to blow up any churches either. . . .

On a more spiritual note:

This is the post I was looking for when I wrote the story about Mike Shoemaker in Arizona last February.

For the past 20 years or so I always wondered why Jesus Christ made a special point of calling a child over to him, placing the child on his knee and saying, "If anyone hurts one of these, it would be better that a millstone be tied around their neck and they be tossed into the sea".

I realized about a year ago or so that it was prophetic. He saw this coming.

Then, literally as I was typing this post, I realized something else; it was also intended to comfort us. To let us know that He most definitely sees what is going on, that He is not happy about it at all, and that He will be dealing with these perpetrators. Severely.

I don't know about you all, but this just gave me some peace.

Thanks God.

I'm actually kind of frightened for these guys now. Oh well, God knows best.

-- Mike Shoemaker (Spring 2006)

More to come. . .

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Salesians Trial Update

2007-11-20T15:41:00.001-08:00

****
As of November 14th the Salesians Jury Trial has moved moved to Dept. 308, Central Civil West Courthouse, 600 South Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles, Judge EMILIE H. ELIAS. No trial date has yet been set. Key persons in that court are on vacation until the end of the month. City of Angels will get more details soon. Happy Thanksgiving. . .

No date yet for Salesians trial so reading about Mahony’s lies under oath, predators in Confessionals, priests who skin cats alive -- I need a break

2007-11-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

The Salesians cases November 5 jury trial still has no trial date and if that sounds Alice in Wonderland to you, it’s regular MO for the Salesians, according to Joey Piscitelli who battled the religious order in 2006 in San Francisco.

“Haven’t you noticed,” Piscitelli said, “there were hundreds of cases in LA that settled without even beginning depositions, those orders just accepted the agreement and settled, but not the Salesians.

“They take depositions of your cousins, uncles, parents, grandparents, grade school teachers, and they try over and over again to get the case dismissed.”

When I called the court clerk November 6th, he said, “Oh that case is trailing, it happens all the time. They're just waiting for a room to open up.” When I called last week his answer was more like, I have no idea what's going on. So I called Joey.

“They're stalling,” he said. “The first court date I had was in 2004, they postponed it to 2005. There were three different dates in 2005 that got postponed and then two different court dates in 2006 and then it finally went to trial.

“Any reason to drag it out, any reason to postpone,” he said as his signal was fading.

“They don’t want a settlement,” Joey said, “they want to take on each plaintiff, and they spend as much money as possible fighting and filing motions.”

“There’s no limit to what the Salesians will spend to fight a victim,” Joey said and then I lost his signal.

What happened to the blog the last few weeks?

I had ten word files going at once developing stories for this blog. The McGuire File: the Jesuit who now faces federal charges in Chicago held retreats all over the country including LA and Orange County. Father Donald McGuire was your plain vanilla pedophile back in the 1960s. But when the Catholic Church allowed him to get away with his blatant flagrantes over and over again, he got brave and pushed it to the limits. By the the 1990s he was raping little boys at family weddings where he’d just officiated, and creating victims in several states as conducted retreats all over the world.

McGuire’s travel agreement was to always have an adolescent male companion who assisted him even sleeping with him in his bedroom. What does it take for someone in Catholic Church hierarchy to notice criminal behavior?

McGuire got to many of his victims through the Confessional which is one way my perp got to me in Illinois in 1955, as did George Neville Rucker in LA in the seventies.

GEORGE NEVILLE RUCKER
This blog has not forgotten you

Rucker, who preyed in South Central LA, also took little girls and boys behind the altar where, as the original complaints filed in 2003 and settled last summer read, his victims remember statues of saints glaring down at them as they were being raped.

Some say using the confessional to prey on a target is more than pedophilia, it’s also sacramental abuse, or to push the line further, ritual abuse.

So I dug in my notes and called back a few people and now I have three women, one in Ohio, one in Pennsylvania, and one in California whose stories include several priests in black robes skinning a cat alive --

Skinning a cat alive? To frighten their target? As two woman remember it, as they skinned the cat they said, “This is what we'll do to you if you talk.”

Ritual abuse seems to be rooted in Pennsylvania, Ohio, other woodsy areas.

My Perp Father Thomas Barry Horne came to Illinois by way of Pennsylvania in the 1940s.

All this stuff was whizzing through my head, plus there’s a strike rattling my job security at work.

I’m trying to write all these stories at once clicking to bishopaccountability about ten times an hour trying to keep straight which perp is in which city which years --

And I crashed, FMS flare up -- pain all over the body haven’t been able to move now for a couple weeks. It’s okay though

Because

Since the Salesians Religious Order trial is still “trailing,” maybe someone upstairs wants me to take a break for a few weeks. Or if Joey is right, two years before the Salesians cases finally begin jury selection.

Some Roger Mahony testimony after this:

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I’m trying to get smart on the crimes of Father Titian Miani whose victims brought the complaint that led to this trial, five years later, that trial still is trailing as of a phone call I just made to Superior Court Dept 20.

I’m reading about Titian Miani and I find myself buried in trial testimony by Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles -- the man of God who blatantly lies under oath.

Q. Cardinal, when is the first time in your
12 entire life, as a layperson, as a deacon, as a priest,
13 that you ever heard of a cleric molesting a child?

14 A. The the best of my recollection would be in 1981.

Oh come on, Mahony, how could you rise from priest to bishop in California and not hear about priests’ inappropriate contact with children, when there have been thousands of cases settled and paid for by your own Church?

Father Roger Mahony was a social worker in Fresno before he went hierarchical; this guy is lying so outrageously why didn't the DA do anything about this perjury?

20 Q. When is the next time in your career as an
21 Ordinary, Your Eminence, that you had a priest in a
22 diocese that you were in charge of molest a child?

23 A. The next time, to the best of my recollection,
24 was sometime in the early part of 1984.

With priests bringing boys into seminary rectories up and down the Coast, Mahony never heard of another pedophile priest for three more years?

Mr. Mahony, you took an oath to God before you told that lie.

0024
2 Q. Your Eminence, my question is a little simpler
3 than that. I probably didn't articulate it well.
4 Did you conduct any kind of investigation or
5 inquiry upon finding out the accusation against
6 Father Munoz?
7 A. No, because Father Munoz was in Tijuana; he
8 was not in the Stockton diocese at the time.

Thank you for being so proactive.
&&&&&&&&&&&***
For the entire text of Deposition of Cardinal Roger Mahony November 23, 2004, go to

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/depo/2004_11_23_Mahony_In_Clergy_III_Pt_1.htm

He’s not my cardinal.
Maybe Mahony’s the one who sicced Snidely Whiplash West on me and my daughter. After this:

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I’m reading about Titian Jim Miani and trying to track down Jesus "Jesse" Armando Dominguez whose cases are set for trial January 28, 2008, another priest who escaped to Mexico, a Salesian this time.

Glad I didn't have to raise my kids in Mexico.

Meanwhile my landlord, Snidely Whiplash West is in his Beverly Hills high rise office scheming up reasons to put my daughter and I out of our apartment as soon as possible so he can raise the rent by 50 percent and cash in on the post-fires rental disaster that's happening in LA right now.

All this at once, and oh, yeah, the holidays, and I end up sick.

Damn PTSD induced body weirdness that so many priest rape victims live with. Sometimes no matter how many long deep breaths you take you can’t fight back the pain. I’m crippled totally, can’t walk -- haven’t left my block in weeks.

Last week I beat myself up a while for not posting anything in so long. Now it’s this week and I’m still sick and that's just the way it is. This is all there is for now.

In November 2006 I went to blogger dot com, but could not follow the instructions to start a blog at all. Then January 2007, I went back to try again.

Over the holidays last year Google bought Blogger and created Blogspot with Dashboard. So in January 2007 it only took me ten minutes and three clicks to start this blog. I put my personal story up first at cityofangels1.blogspot.com.

For about 13 years I’d been trying to write my own story but couldn't figure out who was the audience. Then I got on blogspot and just told my story to the world. Once I got it out one last time I left it there at cityofangels1 and never went back.

Then I wandered down to Superior Court to see what was going on in the civil cases pretrial hearings and covered a motion to dismiss on January 16, 2007, and the rest is history.

Or the rest is pre-history.

Imagine what we can do here in 2008.

I have no idea where the blog is going in 2008.

Soon I will have a digital camera and a travel budget so I can go around the country documenting stories and posting them as video blogs.

I have to get past this PTSD-FMS flare in time to cover the Salesians trials when they finally take place.

So I’m resting. Probably won’t post again until after Thanksgiving, but wanted to check in, say thank you to everyone who emails me and encourages me to keep writing.

City of Angels Blog hasn’t even been here a year. I think it’s okay if I take a short break. I never put up a post unless I’m moved to, so until I get moved again. . .

Oh that's part of the story of the blog. Every single one of these posts since January 16, 2007, has written itself. I’d just open a document and see what was there and it would jump up at me.

Well this week nothing is jumping up at me, other than low fat turkey stuffing recipes.

Right, low fat stuffing. . . denial, anyone?

More to come. . .

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‘It terrified me, I knew it was going to happen again.’ Ryan DiMaria, in his own words, about his 1997 case and Michael Harris, “Hollywood priest"

2007-11-03T11:18:00.001-07:00

***
(Nov.17: I'm sick, hope to post again after Thanksgiving--kay)
*****

By Kay Ebeling
Ryan DiMaria held a gun to his head. He was 25 years old in a college dorm his head reeling. Father Harris had said he wouldn't really go to hell if he killed himself, but Father Harris, in that same role of priest and counselor, had also assaulted DiMaria sexually over and over again from his sophomore to senior year at Santa Margarita High School. Somehow DiMaria put down the gun that day and instead called his parents and told them everything. As devoted Catholics would do, they contacted the diocese.

Six years later Ryan DiMaria's 1997 case in Orange County settled for $5.2 million and DiMaria became a plaintiff attorney himself, attending law school as his case went through Orange County Superior Court. When he first approached the church there was no intent to file a lawsuit. Even after years of talking to blank faces and getting no response from church hierarchy, the DiMarias were still asking the church for help.

It was when Harris, finally removed from the priesthood, began operating non profit mobile home parks for low income families, with lots of playgrounds and activities for the children, that DiMaria became the aggressor. "I knew it was going to happen again."

Coincidentally DiMaria's family ran mobile home parks. So he had that conversations with Harris when he was in high school. He knew why Harris wanted to run mobile home parks for low income families.

He filed his lawsuit.

Recently he talked about the betrayal, the despair, trying to get his church to listen to his family's reports about Michael A. Harris, "the Hollywood priest."

The summer before his sophomore year in high school DiMaria’s friend kille,d himself. DiMaria was tormented, fearing his friend's soul was now doomed for eternity, as he'd been taught in the church. (I planned to write his story as a great work of novelization when I realized it was best told in Ryan DiMaria's own words:)

“My parents had heard all these wonderful things about Father Harris. They thought he might be the guy for me to talk to. He said, your friend is not going to hell.”

Harris was blue eyed, tanned, with brownish blond hair, “One of the most charismatic individuals I'd ever seen," DiMaria said.

"Adult women adored him. But girls were never around him, it was always just boys."

I went to talk to him about that stuff, first meeting, and he said, your friend is not going to hell.

It started with him as my therapist and spiritual counselor and there was a period there when it was good, the entire time that I knew him, the counseling was good.

Right after that first meeting we went downstairs and he pulled out his day planner and said to my parents, when can Ryan meet with me next. So we started a counseling relationship summer after my freshman year.

He suggested Santa Margarita High.

(The deadlines were long past.) Harris said, Let me see what I can do about the entrance exam and application deadlines.

Let me see what I can do?

Counseling sessions went all the way through to DiMaria’s Junior Year. Harris was known in upscale Newport Beach Catholic homes as “The Hollywood Priest.”

WHY DID THEY CALL HIM THE HOLLYWOOD PRIEST?

DIMARIA: He would take a group of kids out to dinner, to a game, and that was absolutely the most common thing.

His house operated like a dormitory.

It was a residential 3-4 bedroom house, every room was set up.

One night I went to an event with him and I’d just gotten my license. We were going to be out late, so Harris called my parents and said, why doesn't Ryan stay overnight.

My parents thought that's reasonable. Ryan will be with not only a priest but the principal of the school.

That night Harris pulled DiMaria aside.

He said, Do you want to sleep in my bed? I could see new recliner chair he’d gotten, his big screen TV in his bedroom. The chair had a woofer underneath it and speakers on the wing tips

It was going to be the “True movie experience” he’d be showing me the movie with the sound the way it was in a theater.

I was tired.

He said do you want to sleep in my bed and I said no -- and went to the other room. I woke up and he was rubbing my chest talking to me and started making bigger circles and ultimately . . .

(Edited to frustrate anyone reading this to get aroused.)

I was thinking he’s going to be so embarrassed that that happened. I went downstairs and took a shower. He was sitting in the front room. I said, “I don't understand what happened I don't want it to happen again.”

He said no it won’t

I said, I feel like I’ve almost blocked it out. He said oftentimes when we feel something traumatic we block it out.

My fear was he was going to go tell someone and I was going to get in trouble. I said promise you won’t tell anyone and he said it’s our little secret.

HARRIS THE MANIPULATOR
His victim feels sorry for him

RYAN DIMARIA CONT’D: So here I am I’m feeling horrible for him. It’s my fault. He’s almost a perfect human being.

He worked so hard to cultivate his persona

After that night, he’d sit next to me on a couch during the counseling sessions. When someone does that, you take it as, this person cares, not a sexual advance.

Then after some personal talk, he’d touch me on chest and . . .

People don’t understand why you go back.

I was always -- every time I went back I was hoping, I gotta talk to him to make sense of this in my mind. I was caught:

The only person who could understand was the perpetrator who was also my counselor, So maybe he can talk me through it.

After the second time it happened I was thinking it must be something I’m doing. I told him I didn't want it to happen and it’s still happening.

So I thought what is most powerful thing I can do and say that he can’t misunderstand.

I’m thinking he thinks I want this.

So I said to him, I don't understand why you keep doing this, I’m going to kill you. That's the most clear cut way you can say I don't want this to happen.

Harris managed to manipulate the situation so the abuse still continued. I asked DiMaria to tell me more about Harris.

DIMARIA: Harris would drink, but he was not a drunk. He drank in social settings.

With Catholics and non Catholics in Orange County, he would be invited to the biggest parties and the plays. (He now lives in Oceanside in a normal house.)

Harris had boys at his house all the time -- he had that movie theater in his house, it was the late eighties.

Going to Harris’ house was a real special thing. We’d have movie nights sodas, chips, ice cream, and everybody knew and felt special if he got invited to the principal’s house to watch movies.

Never ever once did I see or hear of a female being invited over there.

That's the way that I first came to know him, he’d call parents and say hey would Ryan like to come

During my freshman year I went to public school and I started there at Santa Margarita my sophomore year.

By the way he was friends with Michael Baker.

They were suite mates.

I think it was Llanos, Harris, a parishioner and I think Baker, he was suitemates at St. Johns Seminary in Camarillo

DIMARIA: What I believe is it (pedophilia) was and is such an acceptable part of the culture in seminary and priesthood that I think for these guys like Baker and Llanos they know it’s bad but it’s all done with a little bit of a giggle.

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DiMaria was close to suicide in his college dorm, when he called his parents and told them the whole story. They went to Monsignor John Urell to file a complaint through the diocese.

How did it go with Urell?

DIMARIA: It was surprising to me. There was no remorse or apology or sorry this happened. It was basically he asked questions and took notes the whole time and that's how it went. One question answered then another asked.

My parents weren’t supposed to come in, it was he and I only.

That's when Monsignor Urell said those famous words:

“Wow we've never heard allegations like this before.”

DIMARIA: There was no inkling given, even though at the time they’d been in four and a half years litigation over another plaintiff who’d complained about Michael Harris.

Many victims came forward a decade before me

He was very insincere.

I got together with a friend from high school where Monsignor Harris was principal. He went to Harris’ house (then on Lido I$le)

He went to get a jacket he’d left there and he said, Ryan has something to tell you.

Harris was living on Lido Island and this was after he was on administrative leave. He was living in a wealthy individual’s home who was allowing him to live there.

My friend went in and grabbed his jacket and this house was right on the water. Harris was there and my friend said Ryan has something to ask you

So I confronted him. I said, “I just want to know why you molested me?”

His response was “I thought that's what you needed at the time. I thought you needed a little extra attention.”

I immediately exploded and said what about counseling.

Harris said to me, I’m lucky to be alive and lived through this and quite frankly you are too.

DIMARIA AND his friend reported this incident and what Harris had said.

DIMARIA: So I’m thinking now the bishop has what they need, now he’s admitted it in front of two people

That wasn’t the original plan but it dawned on me afterward. So we called bishop and we met with him and I’m not sure if Urell was there.

And never heard from them after that.

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DIMARIA: We went to the church my mom went to daily St. Timothy’s Laguna Niguel and spoke to Father Bruce there.

My parents were very involved with that church there so they made an appointment to meet with Father Bruce.

Fr. Bruce knew what I was going to tell him.

I walk in and Fr. Bruce hugs and kisses me and says Sorry this happened. To me that was most inappropriate

Fr. Bruce said, How horrible it is that these priests are just being sent off to hospitals.

We knew there was admission in front of another person. We had met with bishop told him that and they said thank you very much see you later

A PERSON CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH

DIMARIA: You only go through that so much before you realize they really don’t care. It was only at that point that we started to look at the church hierarchy in a different manner.

So we looked to law enforcement, looked to a civil suit,

DIMARIA:

Since the years I knew him, Harris had gotten a PhD at Pepperdine and had actually started a nonprofit in Orange County where they’d buy a mobile home park with government bonds from a private individual and then run it as a nonprofit to provide low income housing.

The thing that alarmed me is I remember him telling me about how great it was that they had these mobile home parks with playgrounds and computer rooms.

And it terrified me. I knew it was going to happen again. The reason I filed the lawsuit was not to get beat up in press and no one had gotten money yet, it was.

After the church did nothing but interrogate me and treat my family like crap, and after having an admission in front of another person and not doing anything,

It was knowing Harris was buying these mobile homes that made me file the lawsuit.

AN EERIE COINCIDENCE

My mom and dad in early sixties and early seventies had invested in mobile home parks and since then had bought more. So we’d talked about them in the past.

I remember driving around the day and I was trying to decide if I wanted to file a lawsuit and I thought to myself this is going to be an unhappy thing and I need to feel like it’s a success otherwise I can’t do it. What if something goes wrong.

What I tell people today is when you get a settlement it’s not as if a light switch comes on and your life is suddenly bright.

I went to law school while my suit was going on, and it helped me understand the process. It didn't make me feel real comfortable but at least I understood the process, what it meant to be deposed. What else could happen.

But I’m still surprised at what the church attorneys do.

HOW DID RYAN DIMARIA END UP AS
A Plaintiffs’ Attorney?

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DIMARIA: I never had the intention of being a clergy abuse or even personal injury lawyer, I actually had to fight to get onto these cases. I came to Manly’s firm as a clerk to do real estate. He never pushed and I never pushed and I never thought of doing it. It came to a point, kind of like how I felt compelled to file a lawsuit myself.

I felt compelled to take on these cases --

You make yourself so good at keeping outward appearances

I did internships, jobs, while going to college. I worked really hard and people thought that I was a success

But I was doing that to avoid thinking about what happened with Fr. Harris.
======

We now know that a major player in the creation of Church policy for the pedophile priest crisis was Msgr. Alan Placa who now “whispers in Rudy Giuliani’s ear” as his close friend and $100K/year advisor. (See October 30 post.) A decade later in California John Urell was putting Placa’s policy into practice when Ryan DiMaria came with his family to report Michael Harris.

MICHAEL HARRIS’S CAREER:

FROM LEON PODLE’S BOOK: SACRILEGE

Harris, known as the “Hollywood priest” because of his good looks and charisma, was a wildly popular money raiser. At the 1987 opening of the Orange diocese’s new high school “to a roar of applause from the audience, he ripped open his black clerical shirt to reveal a Superman logo. The S stood for Santa Margarita High. Harris was the guiding force behind the new school and its first principal. He had raised $26 million for the school where he found several good candidates for his bed.”

-------
More to Come. . .

Salesians jury trial "trailing"

2007-11-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

The November 5 Jury trial in the Salesians cases is now "trailing," as there are no courtrooms available, and according to the clerk in LA Superior Court Dept. 20, it will be about a week before jury selection and the trial can begin.

City of Angels Blog will keep you posted. The upcoming jury trial is for cases regarding the Salesians reglious order and Fr. Titian Miani, the last and only holdout of orders that would not agree to the LA settlement from July 16th. A second jury trial re Salesians is now on calendar for January 28, 2008.

We will keep you updated.
ke

Giuliani as president would mean advisors like Alan Placa, the pedophile priest/attorney who created Church policy for pedophile priests

2007-10-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

A New York grand jury ends its report on Alan Placa, pedophile priest, with these words: “Ironically, Priest F would later become instrumental in development of Diocesan policy in response to allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests.” Irony? More like criminal conspiracy. Below are more quotes from Suffolk County about Placa, who today whispers in Rudy Giuliani’s ear, plus an interview with Richard Tollner, one of Placa’s more vocal accusers.

This guy Placa is so devious. He's also Rudy's "long time friend." Placa who diddled little boys when no one was looking, got the church to send him to law school as a young priest, so he could craft legal strategy for the church’s handling of pedophile priests. He also created a devious MO for handling those pesky parish families who make complaints against the priests, and ways to keep the settlements as low as possible.

Imagine what Placa could do as President Giuliani’s advisor: he finds out an American city is going to be attacked and responds by moving the enemy’s cells into new cities before the bombs hit. Then he convinces families of the dead that the bomb never went off in the first place so they really don’t need any reparations. That's how he handled his fellow pedophile priests and their accusers.

Usually pedophiles target children who are meek, not likely to stop their advances. Placa miscalculated when he went after the teenaged Richard Tollner. The January 2003 Grand Jury Report described it: “The tragic death of a victim’s father led, finally, to the end of Priest F’s sexual abuse of him. At the funeral home, Priest F approached the boy and the boy told Priest F, ‘Don’t ever fucking touch me again or I’ll kill you.’"

How Tollner Describes It

Tollner described the funeral scene in a recent phone call: “My father had just died and I said, you know what, it’s all over now. He happened to be walking behind me and I poked him and said, ‘I’ll fucking hill you.’ “He said nothing I said nothing.”

With new determination, Tollner and a friend “picked a teacher we thought we could trust and brought it to the attention of the rector. All these years later the teacher denies we said anything to him.

“We turned Placa in the last week of April 1977,” Tollner said. “We turned him in again in May at the senior school retreat. I was told it would be taken care of.” He graduated, went to college, and went on with his life.

Then in 2002 a friend asked, “Hey, guess who’s handling the sex abuse crisis in the church?”

Tollner said "Placa" joking.

The friend said, “It is and I’m not joking.”

TOLLNER: "I found out this guy was still serving in the priesthood and I thought that's not possible. I thought they’d taken care of it."

“So I came forward.”

More of what happened to Tollner after this:

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The case of Alan Placa is complicated. I keep getting mixed up as I do research and I end up writing long convoluted headlines when I finally do post.

I go to read documents about his pedophilia and find myself reading about his work as an attorney for the Roman Catholic Church of the United States, as legal consultant to House of Affirmation in Massachusetts among other things.

Placa crafted church policy for handling pedophiles while he was a pedophile himself.

Those words in the last paragraph about Priest F, in the Suffolk County Grand Jury Report jumped out at me. “Priest F would later become instrumental in development of Diocesan policy in response to allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests.”

How can mainstream media overlook something that blatant!!!!

The Grand Jury also reported Placa's collusion as an attorney:

“Do not disclose that I’m an attorney for the diocese,”

“There’s proven church documents,” says Tollner. “Read the June 2002 article in Newsday.

Placa would visit families of pedophile priest crime victims as a priest, not informing them he was an attorney for the diocese as well. The report has documents where he says, "Don't let them know I'm an attorney."

There’s an internal memo in same grand jury report where he states he severely reduced settlements.

It's all at bishop accountability dot org in several places.

The grand jury heard from 97 witnesses and reported that Placa’s main accomplishment was getting the diocese to settle potentially multimillion-dollar sex-abuse cases for $20,000 to $100,000.

When Tollner's friend told him Placa was on a review board to hear about complaints about pedophile priests in the diocese, Tollner went to the news media (after talking it over with his mother. Tollner also says he won't file a civil suit. The money would just be coming from people like his mother.)

Several stories ran in local media before the DA approached Tollner to talk to a grand jury.
-----
It Pays To Put Your Story Out There in the News, It Gets Results. Email me!
=====

“I can’t say where I testified because of security," Tollner said. "They brought us in through eight different doorways and through hallways and we were incognito and in disguise. To get into the building, from the parking lot into chair where I testified took 30 minutes.

“The people in the jury I felt sorry for them. When I came in, you could tell they were prepared to hear something horrible, like they’d heard so much before mine. They heard 50 cases in one summer.”

Tollner keeps using the word “considerate” to describe how law enforcement treated the crime victims.

“The Suffolk County DA, they were kind, considerate gave us time to do what we needed to do,” Tollner said. “They followed up with us three times the next week, calling the next day to ask how are you feeling, do you have any feedback, a few months later wanted to make sure we were okay.”

No wonder so many Americans have given up on religion in favor of just being human.

Tollner’s accusations against Placa, after this:

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What did you say to the grand jury, I asked.

“The circumstances,” said Tollner.

“Simply put -- school was closed one day and a couple of us were called in to make right to life posters.” It was a regular high school gym at St. Pius on Long Island, where more than half the teachers have PhDs from places like Harvard, MIT, about half clergy, half layman.

“I wanted to go there,” Tollner says, “I strongly considered the priesthood, and even to this day would consider it again. I’ve been on a church board for 10 years in Upstate New York.”

Placa’s acts as a deviant predator pedophile are very revealing of his character.

Hold up your knee, pick up a book, hide what you're doing, and talk about something else while you're doing it so the victim is confused and unable to fight you off.

The way Placa preyed on Tollner is so similar to so many other attacks by Pedophile Priests

You’d think they had child molesters handbooks hidden in their Catechism:

“He said: You're laying on the floor, why don’t you consider doing the posters somewhere else. I said where and he goes, I’ll show you.”

Tollner describes their convoluted walk down a hall, out the front of the building, into another building to find a place “to put the posters up on a counter at chest level,” to make it easier to work.

“Then he starts pointing towards all the posters with one hand and I realized he’s feeling me with the other hand.

“And he continues talking about magic markers and posters and telling me what to do with the posters while he’s feeling me. You don’t have a chance to speak or say anything.

“It went on for a long period of time like 10 minutes and then he’s like well we've had enough with these posters, let’s go back to the auditorium.

Tollner proved his point 20 years later:

“I went back to the building four weeks ago and sure enough 10 feet away from where we were doing the posters was a stage that was chest high. We could have done the posters right there but he chose to walk over 100 steps away.

“The next time was after hours and he positioned himself where his body was blocking anyone’s view and he was showing something me in a thesaurus, being authoritative, talking, and you couldn't get a word in edgewise.

“I wasn’t mature enough to even know it was sexual.”

. . . . .

What kind of presidential advisor would Alan Placa be:

Another Criminal Presidency Is Possible,
8 More Years of Criminals in Office!

If Alan Placa is advising him, we can count on a Giuliani presidency full of deceit. People who align with perpetrators or the enemy will suddenly have full bank accounts. criminals and American enemies who Giuliani “likes” will thrive no matter how vile their crimes, and you can count on the interests of the parishioners, or the American people, being way down at the bottom of the priorities list. In short a Guiliani Presidency will look a lot like the Catholic Church in the way it handled pedophile priests.

Read the grand jury report at:

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2003_02_10_SuffolkGrandJury/

More to come

I got a little scripture and couldn't do it. Better off not pleasing the bishops by eating our own. Focus on the 5 percent

2007-10-28T09:36:00.001-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

I had plans to write a scathing post today about one of the attorneys defending the Salesians in the jury trials that start November 5 in LA. I mean, why would someone whose family had to flee from criminal clergy in Iran end up defending criminal clergy in America? That same day I had an argument with a VOTF member yelling in his ear: just drop those two goals about reforming the church and supporting good priests, 'cause if the sheeples ain’t figured it out by now, forget about ‘em.” Earlier I interviewed a guy in Boston and had trouble keeping track of which victims’ advocacy group had splintered off which group going back to the beginning. And believe me if I wanted to I could write some scathing things about SNAP.

Then I happened to have free time on Friday morning to go to a neighborhood bible study and the passage happened to be: James 4:11 as translated here from The Message: "Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?"

I’m really fortunate my daughter and I got to be homeless November 2003 to November 2005. Really. In homeless shelters you learn to get along with people no matter how much you disagree. You have to or you end up back out on the street.

At a shelter you have to get along with people you don’t like and don’t agree with but like it or not you have to spend time with them. Most the women living there were much more “street” than me, and a lot of them hated white people to start with, but add in my upper middle class educated accent -- I took a lot of verbal abuse the first weeks in that shelter. I almost got thrown out a couple of times for arguments that I was sure “weren’t my fault.”

Focus on the 5 percent

You learn that when people have a common goal, they may agree with each other on 5 percent of things, those things that have to do with the common goal. You probably disagree about everything else and if you waste time arguing about that other stuff, the common goal gets ruined. You learn to ignore that other stuff and focus on the common goal.

In the homeless shelter the common goal was keeping a roof over your head to save your ass.

In the crime victim community it’s justice.

I know we all have legitimate reasons to be mad as hell at different advocacy organizations: one might want to align with a bishop who 10 years ago was not on our side but now seems to be. Persons who dealt with that bishop 10 years ago are shocked and rightfully so. But that's part of the 95 percent you don’t agree about.

Focus on the 5 percent on which we do agree, at least long enough to attend a meeting and find common goals.

When I read about two different meetings taking place in Rhode Island last week, one inside with VOTF and one outside, I knew I’d probably be at the one outside.

But I also think the guys in robes with cognac glasses in their hands are laughing out loud as they watch advocates eating their own.

One thing about Hollywood.

People from all over the country come here to try to “save” us. So all over the city are these “church plants,” people from Minnesota, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, come to rescue people in Hollywood who, face it, really need saving. Although I often do a lot of saving back.

I wouldn't even know about these church plants if it weren't for my 11 months in the Hope Again homeless shelter.

They are all over Hollywood, little places where 10 or 15 people meet regularly to read the Bible and it’s really revolutionary, guerrilla God, bashing through ceremonies and sacraments and just once in a while passing a loaf of bread and grape juice to represent the last supper. I love it.

We're like the Christians in the year 100 or so before the Popes and bishops created themselves to muck it up.

You’d think Hollywood is godless but truth is even that crack head on the corner can quote you Scripture.

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I still go to Hope Again Tuesdays for Anger Management and when I can on Fridays for “chapel.”

So thanks to being homeless and landing in a fundamentalist Christian shelter -- where believe me the “onward Christian soldiers” vibe rankled me at first -- I live my life now based on Scripture.

It was at the kitchen table at the shelter that someone told me about “The Massage” on KJLH which is linked at the bottom of this page. They're an R&B station from deep in LA ghetto. The daily Massage and their radical Spread the Word broadcast on Sunday afternoons, bible studies -- these things wouldn't be part of my life if I hadn’t been homeless for two years.

KJLH - Kindness Joy Love Happiness.

Who says this isn’t the city of angels?

When we’d been in our car and motels for six months and the cash was running out, I leaned into the back seat and just dived my hand into the pile of rubble, and honestly, it was after saying a sort of prayer. I was totally godless at the time but we were parked facing uphill and as I reclined in the seat as far back as it would go I found a business card in this pile of rubble -- I’m a middle class lady, I don't know how to explain how I ended up in a pile of rubble, it happens when you live in a car.

My arm went back, I stuck in my hand and out came this business card. A few weeks back as I’d sat once again in yet another homeless agency waiting room -- waiting, this black lady next to me was humming. We talked a bit, unusual at PATH, not a social environment. But we talked enough for her to hand me this card and say, “these people will help you.” Then I lost the card. Now out of money, surrendering to gravity on a West Hollywood hill, I found it: Hope Again and a 323 area code.

It was a fundamentalist Christian place but they would take us. After six months of not fitting the demographics of any agency in town, these cracker ladies from Alabama with a shabby office on Sunset Boulevard took us in. Main requirement was we had to attend Bible studies daily and go to church at least once a week. And a whole slew of other rules, believe me.

That's why I’m grateful that we were homeless. If you get in too many arguments in a homeless shelter, you get thrown out. So you learn to get along with people even when you can’t stand them and hate everything they say.

You won’t get thrown out if you can’t pay the rent, they'll work with you (yes you do have to pay rent in homeless shelters.) Even if you hate the bible studies at Hope Again, they'll let you stay as long as you keep going to them and don’t get in arguments.

Last Friday I was planning a post called “Leila in Lala Land” where I was going to tear into an attorney defending the Salesians, and she really has some bare blatant places to rip into her and get away with it. But since I wasn’t on deadline I took a few hours off and went to Friday morning “chapel” at Hope Again instead and we talked about that James 4:11 verse.

(New King James Version)
Do Not Judge a Brother

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

I like the Message translation better.

AND At the shelter I started work on Priest rape crime victim issues:

It was in bible studies, in Bible-based counseling, in mandatory morning devotionals at the homeless shelter --that I began again focusing on pedophile priest rapes and what they did to me.

And what I could do with the anger.

Over about three years the anger turned into this blog.
Often I combine ideas that strike me in the middle of bible studies with posts I write here. I try not to mention it too much as I know how priest rape crime victims can feel about someone pushing religion on them.

But pure Scripture minus the popes and bishops and other prelates, is so mind-blowing.

Take James 4:11 and apply it to priest rape crime advocacy:

It’s liberating to say, let God do the judging, and the attacking.

It frees me up to just point out all the blatant holes in their arguments and blatant injustices.

I don't have to lower myself to criticizing someone’s heritage or their nose or skin or obvious bad eating and drinking habits, like with McFeely.

I have to say this much, though, about Leila in Lala land.

Why would someone whose family had to flee from criminal clergy in Iran end up defending criminal clergy in America?

That's enough.

More to come. . .

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LA settlement checks close, Salesians still on for jury trials, Jeff Anderson holds national meeting Nov. 3: Friday roundup at City of Angels Blog

2007-10-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

City of Angels Lady is once again awash in reality TV raw video at work, so happy Friday, here is a roundup of notes from my files:

The LA Archdiocese is ready to fund the $660 million Clergy Cases 2007 settlement for 508 plaintiffs on December 1st, according to plaintiff attorney Kathy Freberg. Two weeks ago words of the settlement became final and a statement went out to plaintiffs for signature. “As long as we have everything to them on time,” Freberg said, “the diocese will release the money on December 1st. The final thing now is make sure all the plaintiffs sign the agreement,” she said.

In Minnesota, where they have lots of water and one area code, Jeff Anderson is taking his organization national with a meeting next weekend. NAPSAC is “a volunteer self-help organization of survivors of sexual abuse and their supporters,” reads the website. “We work to end the cycle of abuse in two ways: support one another in personal healing, pursue justice and institutional change.” They want to hold perpetrators responsible and make organizations accountable. They meet Saturday November 3rd at Hamline University Saint Paul Campus. You can read more about them at NAPSAC dot US.

Upcoming jury trials: All religious orders have joined the LA Archdiocese settlement except the Salesians. So jury trial for the Miani Cases is still set for November 5th. However, the January 28th date for Dominguez cases is iffy, as last summer the Riverside diocese had the cases severed and half of them stayed as the Salesians in Riverside decided they were part of the San Diego Archdiocese for the bankruptcy. Now that San Diego can’t go bankrupt the cases are again active

BUT: the Riverside diocese needs more time to recover from the trauma of contemplating San Diego’s bankruptcy, or something like that, so they filed a motion asking for all the Dominguez cases to be postponed, or maybe it’s just some of the Dominguez cases, stay tuned. By the way, I thought the Salesians didn't have anything to do with archdioceses?

Speaking of Aargh: Excerpt from Comment by City of Lost Angels Survivor after this:

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This comment about Silent Victims showed up on the October 18th post titled, “Aaaarrrggggh,” a comment so evocative and important I have to reprint it here,

by “Anonymous” City of Lost Angels Survivor

What steps has the church taken? How have they reached out? Would they stake their existence on the fact that there are NO other incidents of child sexual abuse other than the ones enumerated within in this self survey?

I can tell you, they haven't reached out to me. Nor to the other two men that have so far come forward to acknowledge surviving abuse at the hands of the same "priest". That is 3. Experts will tell you that the "average" child molester will commit 120 (+/-) offences before he is caught AND STOPPED! That means that my perpetrator has approximately 117 victims that have not been able to acknowledge their survival, or maybe some didn't survive.

And what of our "3 victim child molester" , Thomas Marshall, now that there is public allegations of his serial abuse? If you call the rectory at St. Peter's Church, he may answer the phone in Ontario Canada where he is retired next to a secondary school! Because criminal charges were dropped in California due to the recent Supreme Court ruling leaving only civil charges which the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (has settled).

To my knowledge, there was not one reported case in the entire John Jay Study that was not previously known by the media or legal authorities. The majority of cases that were included are "1 victim molesters". Do I hear anyone say bullshit (pardon my French)?

They tried it once and didn't like it?

They never did it again?

Spontaneous remission?

This truly is a miracle. (And I thought the age of miracles was over!) This abuse has a 20-40 year self destructive incubation period. VICTIMS CANT COME FORWARD! Laws limiting statute of limitations for these violations are fundamentally unjust!

“By Anonymous, of City of Lost Angels”
-----
Oh yeah the church has solved this problem:
Two new victims of Donald McGuire in Chicago came forward in a press conference Tuesday. Two brothers are filing lawsuits against Donald McGuire and the Jesuits. The news conference was at law offices of Kearns Frost and Pearlman in downtown Chicago.

MORE FROM PAUL KELLEN of Boston:

“The grand jury report said there were 521 litigants in Boston. Plaintiff attorneys anecdotally agreed for every case brought forward there are three others where they talked to the person, believed their story was true, but for some reason, usually the statute of limitations, they couldn't go to litigation.

“So 512 in Boston were litigated and if that number is right they must have looked at 2000, and those are the ones that came forward.

“That means there are 20 thousand victims walking around the diocese of Boston.”

ALSO FROM PAUL KELLEN INTERVIEW THIS WEEK:

I asked:

I HAVE THIS THEORY: the reason the bishops don’t want to turn over documents, especially when they're on perps who everyone knows are guilty, they don’t want to turn over those documents because we're going to find leads to other crimes:

Paul Kellen said:

There was one case I know of where they handed over a file on a guy who had been with an adult woman. And it was a history and it went on for years and years and it contained the fact that two of the children in her family were actually hers and the priests.

It Also turned out that once during a liaison she overdosed on drugs and instead of calling for help he got up and left.

And she died.

So yes when they turn over documents some other crimes do leak out.”

But then on Thursday Jeff Alexander disagreed:

By the time we get the documents they've been so whitewashed by the dioceses, everything's been redacted. And if we did find anything we’d turn it over right away to law enforcement.

So scratch that idea for a story.

AND FINALLY
Let’s bust Newsbusters:
Church apologists like Newsbusters have been asking, why plaintiffs wanted to depose Bishop Brom on the Andrade lawsuit when the crimes actually took place a year and a half before Brom took office.

“That's a legitimate question,” says Ryan DiMaria of Newport Beach. “You’d expect a new bishop to go through the files, understand the priests they have, become apprised of whether they have a priest that is a danger to the parishioners.”

DiMaria knows from experience that “around the time a victim comes forward you get a flurry of activity in the form of emails, written memos.” So yes there is at least one reason to depose a bishop who didn't take office until a year after a crime was committed in the diocese.

Back to Celebrity Fit Club raw video for me, oh my. . .

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“Wow we've never heard allegations like this before,” said Msgr. Urell, now recovering from deposition anxiety in Toronto

2007-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

“The vast majority of child sex abusers can be successfully treated,” former Southdown Institute president Sister Donna Markham

It’s so wonderful to see the church and its members take care of their own. On October 9th “In response to recent assaults on his integrity” Friends of Monsignor Urell formed announcing: "We are deeply saddened by the cases of sexual misconduct that have come to light over the years and we continue to pray for the healing of all those involved. However, it is fundamental to Catholic teaching that we forgive and minister to those who are suffering and in pain.”

Those suffering like Monsignor Urell, the priest who freaked after four hours of testifying in a deposition last summer in Orange County, and instead of returning after lunch, fled to Toronto and checked into Southdown Institute, a place where pedophile, gay, and alcoholic priests check in and six months later check out redeemed.

Poor Monsignor Urell. After years of being point man for the diocese -- the man who took in complaints about pedophile priests, after years of staring straight in the faces of crime victims and their families and feeding them blatant lies about their perpetrators, after years of denying that a pedophile priest problem even existed in Orange County --

Now Monsignor Urell has deposition anxiety and needs a six-month convalescence.

Ryan DiMaria met with Urell when he first came forward with his case: “He asked questions and interrogated me for maybe the better part of an hour,” says, DiMaria whose case settled in 1997.

Then 25 years old, DiMaria had recently been close to suicide. He went with his family to tell the Monsignor the cause of his trauma. He explained that his weekly counseling sessions in high school with Fr. Michael Harris, aka Father Hollywood, were actually weekly sexual molestations.

“Wow we've never heard allegations like this before,” said Monsignor Urell, according to DiMaria, who is now an attorney for plaintiffs in Orange County himself.

“Wow, we've never heard allegations like this before.”
The sound byte repeated in archdioceses across the country.

In truth when DiMaria went to Monsignor Urell to file his report, the OC diocese had been in four-plus years of litigation over another victim of pedophile priest perpetrator Michael A. Harris, for whom the church has now paid out at least $10 million in combined lawsuits settled in the following:

1972-74
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Monrovia

1978-79
Mater Dei High School Santa Ana

1979
Mater Dei High School Santa Ana

1979-83
Mater Dei High School Santa Ana

1980-82
Mater Dei High School Santa Ana

1986-87
Santa Margarita High School Rancho Santa Margarita

1987-89
Santa Margarita High School Rancho Santa Margarita

1991-93
Mater Dei High School Santa Ana

“It was surprising,” DiMaria said about his attempt to get help from Urell in the early 1990s. “There was no remorse or apology or sorry this happened it was basically he asked questions and took notes the whole time and that's how it went.”

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Msgr. Urell couldn't answer questions under oath.

Msgr. Urell the pious man of God was torn between lying under oath and holding onto his lifestyle in the church or telling the truth as his instincts probably told him to do since Wow, Freak! he’d be swearing on a Bible.

Instead the monsignor had a convenient “breakdown” and flew to Canada to relax, rest, take saunas, have maid service and prepared meals, take long walks in the rolling hills, swim in freshwater lakes.

He’s under a court order to testify in deposition and he’s in Canada recuperating from -- the stress of testifying in deposition -- under oath.

What About Those "Sad" Crime Victims?
Working from home because we are unemployable, for example.

Last week was rougher than normal for me. I have FMS and PTSD but still have to work, in fact I have three jobs now, working on getting a fourth.

I have a crippling disease (direct result of trauma from rape at age five by a priest, all the doctors tell me, I don't believe them, they say it.) So I work from home. This prevents the embarrassment of being in an office trying to work with tears and other fluids spewing nonstop out of several places and ghastly expressions on your face from crippling pain.

Last week for several days I worked in that condition here in my dining room and I don't write this to evoke sympathy and extra clicks on my PayPal button, but to point out the OBVIOUS.

My FMS symptoms are eerily similar to the pain and PTSD with which thousands of pedophile priest rape crime victims live.

So when monsignor Urell gets nervous about testifying under oath he gets sent to a spa up north, but the crime victims Msgr. Urell and others spent their careers beating down are left to work three or four jobs, from home, as they're too sick to work another day in regular employment. Or they're on disability, or dead.

SOUTHDOWN INSTITUTE
Toronto, Canada

I fantasize about six months in a spa-like setting like Monsignor Urell is now experiencing at Southdown, which is about 50 kilometers north of Toronto on 100 acres of farmland.

From a simple web search you learn Southdown started in 1965 as a treatment center for alcoholic priests but soon became a harbor for priests with sexual problems, which to the Catholic Church is more critical if you're homosexual than if you're a pedophile, according to Southdown philosophy.

The woman who ran Southdown from 1993 to 2003 opposed the American bishops "zero tolerance" policy from 2002, claiming their numbers were down at Southdown. Her claim:

"Clerical molesters are now afraid to come forward, because once a priest knows he's going to be defrocked he no longer has interest in seeking treatment."

Former priest Christopher Schiavone wrote in the Boston Globe (12/8/02 ) about his time at Southdown where he’d been sent to cure his homosexuality so he could return to the priesthood.

“They are men and women sent to this institution for "rustication," as it is sometimes called in mental health circles. Some have been accused of various kinds of sexual misconduct; others are battling addictions; many are in the throes of clinical depression. But most share one thing in common: They have found themselves in embarrassing, compromising, or potentially sticky situations, and their superiors -- bishops and heads of religious congregations -- have hustled them off to the rustic hill country of southern Ontario in the hope that the various tempests which brought them all here will die down in the six months of their retreat.”

WHY IS URELL AT SOUTHDOWN?
A Canadian retreat for priests with sex and alcohol problems?

So what’s wrong with Msgr. Urell that puts him in a recovery center where pedophile priests “recover” and gay priests go to get straight? What does Southdown know about the dreaded deposition panic, truth trauma, revulsion to oath taking syndrome from which he apparently suffers?

Maybe it’s to compare notes with former Southdown president Sister Donna Markham who was quoted in a Catholic News Service release February 3, 2004.

Southdown’s Markham said this about pedophile priests:

“A small minority of child sex abusers are habitual offenders with little chance of improving with treatment. The vast majority -- such as those who are emotionally immature or who were abused as children and are acting out their own abuse -- can be successfully treated, Markham said.”

City of Angels hopes to run more stories about plaintiffs’ interactions with Monsignor Urell soon.

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Silent Victims: Neither church nor advocates have done enough. “You don’t patch over the rot, you expose it,” says Boston organizer Paul Kellen

2007-10-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

"There could be 1400 silent victims in Providence, Rhode Island, alone."

First: Deposition transcripts from cases of 30-year Santa Barbara pedophile priest Matthew Kelly, now posted by Nye Peabody Stirling and Hale in Santa Barbara on their website (linked in left-hand column of this blog) and WO-O-O-O-O-W. You can click into the documents, read the deposition transcripts, AND copy and paste sections into your own writing.

Now it begins: nonstop proof of church crimes and coverups as documents start pouring out from resolved civil cases. Especially gratifying to me since last September when Bishop Brom said he hoped the San Diego settlements bring “closure to all the victims,” I erupted. How can settlements to about 10 percent of the crime victims bring closure?

Last week when I read this phrase: “the importance of outreach to still silent victims,” I had to phone the contact person on the press release from People of Conscience in Boston to find out more. They held a rally outside the Voice of the Faithful national meeting last week.

According to spokesman Paul Kellen, “For every one victim there are 10 others. Those are the silent victims. If they don’t come forward and identify their abuser, then we're not going to know who the guy is.

“And pedophiles don’t stop. If they (the church and advocacy groups) treat the public survivors in such a shabby manner then we are not encouraging the silent survivors to come forward.”

Bishop Accountability Dot Org held a press conference at the VOTF national meeting showing another place where you can find the “silent victims.” Documents released by attorneys for the archdiocese in Rhode Island contradict numbers released by the Rhode Island Archdiocese in the John Jay Report. Paul Kellen described the situation:

“In the John Jay Report the Diocese of Providence reported from 1957 - 2002, there were 56 accused priests.

“The diocese of Providence is now being sued by somebody within the statute of limitations for failure to supervise and in that case the Judge ordered release of documents.

“The diocese is objecting due to undue hardship because we would have to prepare copies of documents on 125 accused pedophiles.

“So they just said 125 accused priests since 1971, in their own documents filed with Superior Court in Providence by their own attorneys.

“The number of names they released in Providence is 11. So that means there are 114 that nobody knows who they are.

“And

“For every one victim there are 10 others -- those are the ten silent victims.”

There could be 1,400 silent victims in Providence, Rhode Island alone.

TALK ABOUT SILENT VICTIMS!

I Wouldn't Make It Past the Interrogatories

I read more closely the Interrogatories that LA crime victims had to fill out in order to get their lawsuits past archdiocese attorneys, posted at City of Angels 11 forwarded by Kiesel Boucher & Larson plaintiff firm.

I wouldn't have gotten past the second or third question. How can I give addresses of my family members when no one in my family has spoken or seen each other since my dad’s murder in 1997? How can I give the name and address of every employer, when I’ve had hundreds of jobs, some that only lasted a few days, some a few weeks, a few months. That's a pattern with so many pedophile priest crime victims.

How many potential plaintiffs were discouraged before they got past Interrogatory 20?

People who lived lives like mine can’t carry on casual conversation around a water cooler.

(PARAGRAPH CUT HERE AND PASTED AT THE BOTTOM DUE TO VERY DIFFICULT DETAILS FOR ME TO RELEASE)

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Kellen believes neither the church nor most advocacy groups are doing enough to reach the “silent victims.”

“My reason for organizing this rally is I believe we are not doing enough. I can look at everything that's being done and say no.

“The way the church attacks the family, the victim, anybody who supports the victim, discourages other plaintiffs from coming forward,” says Kellen.

“The biggest negative, let’s start where it starts -- Bernard Law going to Rome. You send a message to the clergy, hey fellows if you do what you're supposed to do, we'll take care of you.

“Did it stop with Bernard Law, no.

“That isn’t to say that the classes etcetera the church has started aren’t positive and helpful. That sensitivity is good. However to me --

HERE IS THE KING OF METAPHORS FOR THE DAY

Paul Kellen: “You don’t patch over the rot, you expose it.”

“There’s rot at the end of a gutter, but before you can do the repairs, you have to expose all the rot. You don’t patch over it, you have to expose it all,” Kellen says. “This organization is patching over and hiding all that it can.”

He means the church AND the advocacy organizations who try to cowtow to the church.

The best way to find out about silent victims, he said, is talk to plaintiff attorneys. So City of Angels Lady is loading up her speed dials.

Attorneys have told Kellen that for every case they take regarding clergy sex abuse, they turn away three, because they are un-litigatable cases.

Like mine.
Unlitigatable cases. People without closure.
We who cannot sue
are the silent victims.
And I am determined to keep babbling.

The longer I research to write this blog the more I realize:

The people like me who couldn't file lawsuits almost always end up being the ones with the most horrendous stories.

There’s women who have eerily similar stories about Satanic ritual abuse that accompanied their childhood experiences at the hands of Catholic priests, most of these stories come from Pennsylvania, northern Ohio, out of the way areas of the Midwest. City of Angels will report one of these stories soon.

Some lives are SO damaged that carrying out something like a lawsuit is -- impossible.

Most victims of priest pedophilia aren’t able to take part in anything as civilized as a civil lawsuit. If you're living in a cardboard box, you might miss the news that a 2-year window has opened for you to file a suit about the abuse you suffered 30 years ago, even if that's probably the core of why you're living in a cardboard box.

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Paul Kellen also said this about Boston activism: “In the early days hundreds of people came to Voice of the Faithful meetings. We had steering committees with typically 20 people. We have a group of people that on any Sunday there’s between 8 and 10 who show up in front of Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston before the 11:30 Mass every Sunday. We had a snow storm so bad they called off Mass and there were two people outside the church on the sidewalk.”

Why can’t people in LA do things like that? Last September hmm, about the same time Brom was delivering his ridiculous apology quotes that set me off on a month long anger rage that hasn’t ended, a few of us met at the local Starbuck’s to talk about the future of the clergy sex abuse issue and about the only things we agreed on were

A - it’s almost impossible to get people in LA to be activists because we all have three or four jobs we have to juggle just to survive

And

B - if there is an issue for the future in this crime it’s the thousands of victims who have not gotten any settlement, any “closure,” and whose perpetrators are not even named in any databases.

*****
Here is the pasted paragraph from above:

No one in my family speaks since my dad’s murder, by a family member, in 1997. Yes, you can trace the animosity and anger that led to the murder DIRECTLY back to the jealousy that resulted from a priest diddling two of the daughters and not the other one.

No I don't think she wants to testify now as a witness for me or answer any interrogatories from church attorneys to help my case. . . .

More to come. . .

Aarrrgggh sometimes you've just got to rant and rave

2007-10-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

*****
(City of Angels Lady is recovering now with a stack of comedy movies. New post Monday 10.22.07 by noon or so.)

By Kay Ebeling

With teeth clenched I snarl into the phone, “Who gives a sh--, what the f-- difference does it make.” Same reaction I’ve had every time someone’s pointed out an error in logic from a recent blog, as the Salesians are, in fact, not totally part of the Catholic Church. (See EXTRA: Salesians not part of Catholic Church, Oct. 14) Then in that Catholic tone of voice begins the lecture on hierarchy and the difference between a brother and a priest --

And I’m snarling into the phone. “I don't care if he’s a brother or a priest or a monk or a bishop, AND do you think the mom who’s kid got raped cares if he’s called a priest or a brother?” Alarmed at my own level of rage I stop and look at it more closely. “Because no matter what, the conversation then veers off and you're talking about the hierarchy of the church and who reports to who and you're not talking about the real problem, the pedophile priests."

“So cut through the crap?”

“Yeah, Cut through the crap.” I shout so loud the neighbors suddenly get quiet.

Once a week anger management doesn't seem to be enough for me these days as I do research on sex crimes in the Catholic Church. I contemplate the wrestling team in a eatern United States Catholic School, a very expensive Catholic school by the way, where parents were sacrificing a lot to pay the tuition, and the boys took part in the wrestling team in some cases because their parents thought it was healthy and good for the soul. Then a Catholic priest, kept the kids after matches for liquor and drugs and whatever he could get away with.

Or worse, when I hear about the Salesians attorney in Joey Piscitelli’s case who was questioning Joey’s father and when the deposition had to end because the elder Piscitelli started to have a heart attack, the Salesians attorney stormed to the judge days later to demand that the deposition continue.

This from the same Catholic Church attorneys, yes you are, you are all the same, who called off depositions every time one of their "aging" priests coughed.

Then comes the respite and healing of laughter as I also think of this same Salesians attorney, Lala Nourami, who will be litigating the Salesians cases November 5 in LA.

Attorney Nourami made the entire courtroom break out in quiet laughter when she tried to argue in Joey’s case something like “a man masturbating in front of a young boy is not child abuse.” I mean a San Francisco courtroom laughed at that.

"A man masturbating in front of a young boy is not sexual abuse."
That's the quality of litigation we can expect from these Salesian ghouls.

Yes, Lala, I know I have your name spelled wrong. So what?

Can’t wait to report what Nourani pulls here in LA.

That's Lala Nourami with the very Middle Eastern face and undecipherable accent. “I spent time in England” is all she’ll admit, and wherever she's really from, she’s obviously devoid of a hint of American justice and ethics, just going to plow over the plaintiffs in these cases.

But guess what, Lala, and Courtney, and Blondie, and Puffy, all from the unnamed firm, you're not getting any free press from me, in Century City.

I’m going to be there writing about every dereliction of legal ethics you carry out in these upcoming trials. I’m going to describe the tone of your voice and the look on your face, and then give the backstory of the underlying hatred and total abandonment with which you must live your life to be able to even defend a client like this.

See you guys in court at pretrial hearings next week. Can't wait 'til the jury trial November 5, if you are stupid enough to go through with it and not just SETTLE damn it and admit you are harboring a population of perverted men who you are so inept you continued to put them in teaching positions? Just give it up, Salesians, cash in, sell whatever you have and walk away with your tails between your legs.

Ah yes, anger is managed with laughter. Bishop Niederauer in San Francisco gave Communion to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and pretended like they were a surprise to him? When he spends hours of his life hanging around the Castro District with all the transvestites and flaming gays?

Why can’t these people just be honest?

Once?

Say: We did this horrible thing and we're going to sell a couple cathedrals to raise money for recovery centers to put all over the country.

No instead they lie and say they need money from the parishioners to raise money for their expenses from their “Compassionate outreach” to the victims of this crime?

I’ll tell you about compassionate outreach.

The ONLY time the Catholic Church responded to me about restitution was in 2003, when MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE HOMELESS.

The Feelings deficient nun Sister Patricia of the LA Archdiocese whatever program, whatever the hell it is they call their outreach for “survivor” program.

(We're not survivors we're crime victims!

Victim is an angry word.

Survivor means meek weak and lying on your side “healing.”)

BULLSHIT
We're CRIME VICTIMS
That damn Sister Patricia walked around the block with me, took all my information, saw my daughter and me running out of money in a weekly rental motel, and

DID NOTHING FOR US

I called Sister Patricia at the LA Archdiocese on Christmas Eve 2004 and begged, “Please. My daughter was RAPED LAST NIGHT. Help us get into a shelter.”

SISTER PATRICIA OF THE LA OUTREACH OFFICE DID NOTHING!!!!

THEN

After TWO YEARS in shelters, we got into an apartment I finally and hooked up the computer and phones and I was finally able to hold a private conversation so I contacted the Chicago Archdiocese again.

“We're sorry,” they told me, “because of your contact with Sister Patricia in 2004, the clock started. It’s been more than 1.5 years so you no longer are eligible to file a claim in Chicago.”

So they DID NOTHING but since they talked to me for 30 minutes, all my chances to file a claim and get any justice in the financial arena are destroyed.

Since then the Archdiocese in Chicago no longer takes my calls. They don’t have to, I am no threat to them.

TO THIS DAY
I have no idea how Sister Patricia even knew how to contact me when we were homeless.
Only ones who knew where we were was SNAP.

MORE COMIC RELIEF:
I looked at Tommaso Sanqueero or whatever his name is, Father Tommasso the little queen who was caught on tape in the Vatican approaching a young man for sex

In the Vatican -- in a Vatican office, on the Vatican grounds.

Look for his picture in the news stories. He looks just like Martin Short playing the role of a closeted queer priest in the Vatican.

God, sometimes, is a casting director

Just to remind us He has a sense of humor too.

This blog is such therapy for me, no commercials this post.

GUEST BLOG: The Salesians: Record Holder Pedophiles, by Joey Piscitelli

2007-10-18T07:44:00.001-07:00

*****
"The Salesians fight every victim tooth and nail, an utter disgrace to all Catholics."

(Editor's Note: Civil cases involving the Salesians Religious Order were not part of the $660 million settlement in LA last July. Jury trials on calendar so far regarding Salesians: Nov. 5 cases involving Father Titian Miani; January 28th cases involving former priest, Jesus Dominguez. Attorneys meet this morning for a status conference on cases involving Brother Ernie Martinez.)

By Joey Piscitelli

There is no Catholic Order’s abuse record that I know of that comes close to the Salesians of California. The record number of accused and convicted sex abusers from Salesians of California is by far the largest, and the longest list in the state. In addition, there is no Catholic Order that I know of that fights victims so vehemently and apparently as hatefully as the Salesians based in California.

I attended Salesians School in Richmond California and was molested by the Vice Principal of the school, Fr. Steve Whelan. About the same time period, Fr. Bernard Dabbenne was made principal of the school, even after a complaint was made that Dabbenne was an abuser. Dabbenne was later convicted of child molestation in San Francisco. An administrator of the same school, Fr. Richard Presenti, an accused serial molester, and an admitted molester, was later made principal of a Salesian School, even after the Salesians knew Presenti was a molester. Bro. Sal Billante, head of the Boys club at the school, was also a serial molester, and was later convicted, and was later to spend several years in San Quentin.

Accused multiple serial molester, Fr. Jim Miani, also present at the same Salesian school, has an ongoing lawsuit in Los Angeles. Fr. Larry Lorenzoni, yet another accused Salesian serial molester, was accused by a student of the school as far back as the early 1960s. Lorenzoni has several accusers dating back decades. Bro. Ernie Martinez, another administrator of the school, was also accused and named in a suit. Another local Salesian, Fr. Harold Danielson, was additionally named in a lawsuit as an abuser. Sam Vitone, a history teacher at the school, was also accused of molestation, and named in a civil lawsuit, that went to court last year. Fr. Al Mengon, of the same school, was named as a sex abuser in 2 depositions filed last year.

As remarkable as this seems, many of these accused and convicted Salesian priests roomed with each other at the Salesian residence at the school grounds, and none of them admit to knowing anything about each others’ molestation histories. Of course, this is no surprise.

A NEST OF PEDOPHILES
Many victims and lawyers refer to the Salesians of this group as a "nest of pedophiles" and understandably so. The "ring leader" of most of this "nest" or group, Fr. David Purdy, was accused in court papers last year of trying to talk me into suicide when I was a minor at the school. Imagine the horror of being molested at Salesians as a child, and having to face Fr. Purdy!

Fr. Purdy is currently the Salesian "Provincial", (ringleader), and had the audacity to list not too long ago, on the Salesian Provincial website, several accused Predators from the "nest," including admitted and convicted molesters!

Fr. Purdy also stated in a press conference that the Salesians do all they can to help and provide for victims of Salesian priests. I know of no victims of Salesian priests that Fr,. Purdy is helping, or providing for, and letters to Purdy to address this issue have never been answered.

The Salesians fight every victim that I know of tooth and nail, and show no reservation about how much money they will spend. I believe their strategy is to show all victims and their lawyers that they cannot be beaten, irrespective of whether or not they have so many known serial pedophiles on their rosters.

This tactic is most probably meant to keep all victims silent, and shows no remorse, or care for the uncounted children whom the Salesians have violated.

It is inconceivable that "God" would approve of the Salesians despicable molestation record, and the horrible way they continue to abuse their victims in the legal arena, but I seriously doubt the Salesians have given any consideration to this reasoning, and their actions in court prove this point.

This is very evident at present in the ongoing Salesian battles with their victims in Southern California. This shameful, and hateful fight that the Salesians continue to spew at their victims is an utter disgrace to all Catholics, and especially to the victims of their predators. I have met many Salesian victims whose lives have been destroyed, and the Salesians have shown them no remorse whatsoever. On the contrary, they have repeatedly thrashed the victims of their abuse, and the victims’ families, knowing full well the vulgar records of their nest of pedophiles.

No other Catholic Order I have known is as relentless and unremorseful, with such callous disregard for the damage they have caused.

One would imagine that God himself would intervene, but perhaps the Salesians have been successful in keeping him quiet too.

(Joey Piscitelli, veteran advocate for priest sex crime victims, won his civil case against the Salesians in 2006, in San Francisco. The Salesians appealed and then got an extension on the appeal. Piscitelli’s case is still not resolved.)

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GUEST BLOG: The Salesians: Record Holder Pedophiles, by Joey Piscitelli: ‘The Salesians fight every victim tooth and nail, a disgrace to Catholics

2007-10-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

(Editors’ Note: Civil cases involving the Salesians Religious Order were not part of the $660 million settlement in LA last July. Jury trials on calendar so far regarding Salesians: Nov. 5 cases involving Father Titian Miani; January 28th cases involving former priest, Jesus Dominguez. Attorneys meet this morning for a status conference on cases involving Brother Ernie Martinez.)

By Joey Piscitelli

There is no Catholic Order’s abuse record that I know of that comes close to the Salesians of California. The record number of accused and convicted sex abusers from Salesians of California is by far the largest, and the longest list in the state. In addition, there is no Catholic Order that I know of that fights victims so vehemently and apparently as hatefully as the Salesians based in California.

I attended Salesians School in Richmond California and was molested by the Vice Principal of the school, Fr. Steve Whelan. About the same time period, Fr. Bernard Dabbenne was made principal of the school, even after a complaint was made that Dabbenne was an abuser. Dabbenne was later convicted of child molestation in San Francisco. An administrator of the same school, Fr. Richard Presenti, an accused serial molester, and an admitted molester, was later made principal of a Salesian School, even after the Salesians knew Presenti was a molester. Bro. Sal Billante, head of the Boys club at the school, was also a serial molester, and was later convicted, and was later to spend several years in San Quentin.

Accused multiple serial molester, Fr. Jim Miani, also present at the same Salesian school, has an ongoing lawsuit in Los Angeles. Fr. Larry Lorenzoni, yet another accused Salesian serial molester, was accused by a student of the school as far back as the early 1960s. Lorenzoni has several accusers dating back decades. Bro. Ernie Martinez, another administrator of the school, was also accused and named in a suit. Another local Salesian, Fr. Harold Danielson, was additionally named in a lawsuit as an abuser. Sam Vitone, a history teacher at the school, was also accused of molestation, and named in a civil lawsuit, that went to court last year. Fr. Al Mengon, of the same school, was named as a sex abuser in 2 depositions filed last year.

As remarkable as this seems, many of these accused and convicted Salesian priests roomed with each other at the Salesian residence at the school grounds, and none of them admit to knowing anything about each others’ molestation histories. Of course, this is no surprise.

Many victims and lawyers refer to the Salesians of this group as a "nest of pedophiles" and understandably so. The "ring leader" of most of this "nest" or group, Fr. David Purdy, was accused in court papers last year of trying to talk me into suicide when I was a minor at the school. Imagine the horror of being molested at Salesians as a child, and having to face Fr. Purdy!

Fr. Purdy is currently the Salesian "Provincial", (ringleader), and had the audacity to list not too long ago, on the Salesian Provincial website, several accused Predators from the "nest", including admitted and convicted molesters!

Fr. Purdy also stated in a press conference that the Salesians do all they can to help and provide for victims of Salesian priests. I know of no victims of Salesian priests that Fr,. Purdy is helping, or providing for, and letters to Purdy to address this issue have never been answered.

The Salesians fight every victim that I know of tooth and nail, and show no reservation about how much money they will spend. I believe their strategy is to show all victims and their lawyers that they cannot be beaten, irrespective of whether or not they have so many known serial pedophiles on their rosters.

This tactic is most probably meant to keep all victims silent, and shows no remorse, or care for the uncounted children whom the Salesians have violated.

It is inconceivable that "God" would approve of the Salesians despicable molestation record, and the horrible way they continue to abuse their victims in the legal arena, but I seriously doubt the Salesians have given any consideration to this reasoning, and their actions in court prove this point.

This is very evident at present in the ongoing Salesian battles with their victims in Southern California. This shameful, and hateful fight that the Salesians continue to spew at their victims is an utter disgrace to all Catholics, and especially to the victims of their predators. I have met many Salesian victims whose lives have been destroyed, and the Salesians have shown them no remorse whatsoever. On the contrary, they have repeatedly thrashed the victims of their abuse, and the victims’ families, knowing full well the vulgar records of their nest of pedophiles.

No other Catholic Order I have known is as relentless and unremorseful, with such callous disregard for the damage they have caused.

One would imagine that God himself would intervene, but perhaps the Salesians have been successful in keeping him quiet too.

(Joey Piscitelli, veteran advocate for priest sex crime victims, won his civil case against the Salesians in 2006, in San Francisco. The Salesians appealed and then got an extension on the appeal. Piscitelli’s case is still not resolved.)

More to Come. . .

Geoghan’s murderer names priests who molested him; Riverside Sheriff hunts Father Dominguez, fugitive pedophile; another day in the life of the church

2007-10-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

I thank God daily for landing me here with this story to write. Every document I open, every hearing I attend, another drama plays out in front of me. This week we find another fugitive priest who's fled to Mexico. Plus Fr. John Geoghan’s murderer forwarded a second poem and this one names the seminarians who molested him. Ah the joys of researching sex crimes in the Catholic Church.

The January trial concerns crimes of former Salesian Religious Order priest Jesus Armando Dominguez. The Riverside County DA believes “Father Jesse” fled to Mexico in January 2005 right before he was charged with 58 counts of sex crimes against minors. If he’s ever caught and convicted he could serve 43 years in prison. “The Warrant is still outstanding on Dominguez, all documents have been under seal since July 12 2005,” is all a Riverside DA spokeswoman would say by phone.

In court Tuesday Judge Haley Fromholz denied plaintiffs’ motion to compel the Riverside Sheriff’s Department to comply with their subpoena for records on Dominguez. (Case #BC308472) Last week the the Bishop of Riverside tried to get the jury trial continued from its January 28, 2008 date, but Judge Fromholz refused.

“These documents are confidential because it’s an ongoing criminal investigation where the suspect is still a fugitive,” an attorney for the Riverside County Sheriff said in the hearing Tuesday morning.

There are four more hearings Wednesday morning on unresolved issues stemming from the LA settlements last July and City of Angels will be there.

I came home to find another email with a poem from Joseph Druce. Read it after this:

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I came home to find another email with a poem from Joseph Druce, the prison inmate who found himself conveniently placed in the cell next door to Fr. John Geoghan’s cell last year.

In this poem Druce names two seminarians from the Boston area who he claims sexually molested him when he was a teenager at a school outside Boston.

My friend who is his advocate wrote:

“Joseph Druce was not the only one that murdered Geoghan. It takes a lot of time and reading, and watching those videos in sequence, being able to see all the cell doors open, (against policy) only one Correction officer on duty (against policy) and it took Officer Lonergan long enough to call for help??????? while he knew Druce was in Geoghan's cell killing him?????"

HEAL
By Joseph L Druce

Psychotherapy and medications are only the beginning to healing
I see a major piece of the healing process is to be understood
So I speak and write this poem for all to feel through me

The Shame I felt pushed me to ease the pain with booze and drugs
My crimes cost society, my incarceration cost society, as do many others
Pain, shame, confusion though they still thrive within me daily

Confrontation, sharing my deep dark dirty secret helps me
How you may ask? Pressure released that was hidden for many years
outcast, thoughts they'd think I am gay, a deviant myself worked me

Even my father told me to hush, Don't bring shame on us, he'd take care of it
But he didn't, he left me at the hands of the seminary priests to abuse me
I call out the names of them. Men who sexually and physically abused me.

Edward Solomon, John Schmidt, (seminarians) Peter David LaChapelle, David Moore

all sexual predators who hurt me
with their pleasurous perversions.
My own father Danna Smiledge (senior)
who physically beat me,
the rest you will be named soon enough

We can be restored to sound health, But our minds are the issue

Minds that need people to understand it wasn't our fault, these abuses
don't outcast us with delusions of us, the victims, being damaged people

Help us heal our minds from these same coercions that have diluted us all
Become aware, and talk of the sexual abuses and demand a mass healing

9/18/07
=====
Why are these poems running at City of Angels blog?

Because there but for fortune go I.

When news broke last year of Druce’s murdering Geoghan I was at my computer screen nodding, just short of cheering. I understand Druce’s anger. I understand the rage at injustice.

These criminal priests have got to realize what they did was more than cum all over us -- they splattered and stained the entire span of the United States and they have to become accountable.

Or face it, more angry crime victims will act out like Druce.

WEDNESDAY 10.17.07 IN COURT

Motion to enforce subpoenas on the San Francisco District Attorney, the Oakland Police Department, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, re case BC307275, re Ruben Martinez, (“Fr. Martinez”), part of the ongoing efforts to get documents relevant to the July 16th settlements in Los Angeles.

Also in court Wednesday: Motion to Compel testimony at deposition of Roy Mungaray, regarding Salesians cases going to trial November 5th (Case Nos. BCBC308301 & BC308555)

City of Angels Lady will be there.

More to Come. . .
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Broken marriages, addictions, Geoghan's murderer, a whole new breed of criminals created by church and its pedophiles

2007-10-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

It’s easy to see why the Salesians want to distance themselves from the Catholic Church in the Nov. 5 jury trial in LA. When the whole story comes out about how pedophile priests affected American society it’s going to be embarrassing for anyone to associate with the Catholic Church. We haven’t even started to gauge the collateral damage done to this country by the pedophile priest epidemic, what advocate Dennis McKeown in Pittsburgh calls the “vicious cycle.” Or what Joseph Druce, who murdered John Geoghan last year, describes as "tortuous memories of shame embedded in the soul." Druce's poem is at the end of this post.

The Salesians don’t want to “inflame” jurors by mentioning the LA Archdiocese, the Pope, any settlements paid to victims of Catholic priest sex crimes so far, the name Cardinal Roger Mahony, all of which is understandable considering the LA archdiocese and the Catholic Church’s reputation. Salesian attorneys write: “Evidence concerning ADLA and/or Mahony serves no purpose other than to unfairly prejudice defendants by inflaming the jury and creating bias in favor of plaintiffs.”

Problem is the Salesians are just as guilty as the Catholic Church and Mahony and they all are a long way from justice. Consider this: a budding pedophile sees a Catholic priest being a pedophile so he becomes a priest. After decades of watching priests get away with pedophilia, predators become more bold. Look at the increase in violence against children in the United States in the last 50 years, with police finding mutilated bodies of young boys and girls. While priests got more bold with their altar boys, pedophiles graduated from sex crimes against children to violence.

Consider that the Catholic Church was first to let this vicious cycle go unfetterred. Catholic bishops set the example and directly or indirectly turned thousands of pedophiles out into the world to seek the ruin of souls and destruction of children.

Like the altar boy who became addicted to pornography that destroyed his family life, like the young girl whose compulsions caused damage to other people’s marriages,

like Joseph Druce who murdered John Geogan in prison last year.

Consider this conversation I had with former priest who was molested but thinks he’s gotten over it last week:

HIM: So maybe you made some bad choices.

ME: MMPH.

HIM; A lot of people get into drugs and promiscuous sex and blah-blah-blah but was it really because something happened to you at age five --

ME: YEAH IT WAS. A SEXUAL COMPULSION WAS PLACED IN ME AT AN EARLY AGE AND IT IMPACTED EVERYTHING I DID.

And why is that bad?

WHY IS THAT BAD? [LAUGHS]

Lots of people would make it a joyous event.

ME: MAYBE IT WAS “JOYOUS” FOR THE FIRST 15 YEARS OR SO BUT I WOULD SAY THE WEIRD DISEASES I ENDED UP WITH, THE MARRIAGES I BROKE UP, THE RELATIONSHIPS I DEMOLISHED, THE PEOPLE I HURT, THE CAREERS I DESTROYED, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT DON’T GO AWAY. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT POP UP. MY CHILDREN WHO WON’T SEE ME, THE CHLAMYDIA AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE I GAVE IT TO -- THESE ARE NOT JUST BAD CHOICES.

JOSEPH DRUCE’S POEMS AFTER THIS

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=========

From boys turning tricks in the city’s gay district to a prison inmate who murderers a pedophile priest inmate, the church has to face its responsibility for the ancillary damages and residual results from decades of creating an environment where pedophiles and other sex criminals could proliferate.

Joseph Druce, prison inmate who murdered Father John Geoghan in his prison cell, sat in an isolated cell in Massachusetts last summer reading news about the LA Archdiocese settlements and was moved to write these poems, forwarded to me through a woman with whom he is corresponding.

Emotionally seeking relief
By Joseph Lee Druce

Mentally victims suffer still, deep from inside

Damages from clergy abuse surely brings satisfaction
Ease the burdens of financial worries, for awhile that is relief
How can one release those feelings of being damaged
Sexual abuse by those entrusted priests rips us apart
Anguish is within us, harassing us mentally each day
Many have abandoned the belief and faith, not me, I still pray
Tortuous memories of shame embedded in the soul
Abnormal acts forced on us, now we feel guilty and dirty
Coercion was easy years ago, because reporting it was taboo

You kept it in the closet like the cardinals did knowing of the abuses
Society was part of the problem as well
Told if they revealed or spoke of it they would go to hell

"We'll handle it, they were told"
Don't disgrace your family saying such things
Fooled we were, because the pedophile priests were simply put in a new parish

And said the priest with a smirk, knowing he had new children to rob
The catholic church claims they no longer cover for these monsters
No longer bounce these pedophile priests from hunting ground to hunting ground

They've made some progress, but what about the victims of the past
The crisis in the church has received tons of media attention
This poem is seeking to raise awareness for the victims in pain
Pain that effects society more than anyone wants to admit
Suicides, mental breakdowns, prostitution, drug abuse, overdoses,
alcohol addiction, mental disorders, psychologically damaged
seeking to understand, to be understood to feel forgiven
our lives and behavior affect everybody, yes you too
subconscious feelings and conflicts of shame can tear us up inside

9/18/07

In my own case, I broke up marriages and disappointed and shocked a lot of people with my behavior, and from the phone calls I get a lot of people who survived this crime live lives way below the normal radar for American middle class life.

So yeah it’s shocking but in a lot of ways I identified with Joseph Druce’s anger as he murdered John Geoghan. Thank God I make it to anger management every week.

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When Druce testified at his trial for murdering Geoghan he was heavily medicated. He tried to testify about his abuse by clergy but only ended up saying:

“Also I don't want to sit here and cry either and look like a sissy, you know what I mean. And have to say that, you know, hey I had some guy, uh, I had some guy [BLEEP] I mean it’s got to be said, it’s got to be said. I’m just -- and I got her looking at me, I’m like, you know, here’s a girl looking at me and I’m talking about some guy [BLEEP] I mean it’s kinda it’s just a -- It doesn't matter what kind of medication I’m on it’s just”

They took him off the stand. The following week he returned and finished his testimony where he claimed he’d been raped by a priests at a seminary when he was a teenager. The jury didn't seem to give it much credence. `

More to come. .

EXTRA: Salesians Religious Order not part of Catholic Church and other ways to conceal evidence in jury trial coming November 5th

2007-10-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

“They say there is no non-privileged information. In other words the Salesians have information they believe is privileged. I’m asking for at the minimum a privilege log.” -- Plaintiff Attorney Tony DeMarco

In an interview below DeMarco talks about his attempts to squeze evidence out of the Salesians in pretrial discovery. But it doesn't matter anyway as according to their Motion in Limine #5 the Salesians really don’t have anything to do with the Catholic Church at all.

Walking into court Thursday at 8:20 the hearing was already in session and Tony DeMarco was saying: “We've received nothing substantive there has been no agreement.” Outside we talked on tape:

DEMARCO: We've got witnesses who testified that they made complaints about Miani, that he sexually molesting kids back in the fifties when they were students at a school run by the Salesians. We've asked for any records they have relating to those students, a fairly reasonable question.

Especially since those students have absolutely no objection to us getting to those records.

The Salesians have objected.

We have these students who say they made complaints to the director of the school about Father John Del Maso. We asked for any records they've got relating to Del Maso like his personnel file. He’s deceased. They've objected, citing burden and relevance. They say there’s no way it’s going to be relevant and it’s too much of a burden to gather.

DEMARCO CONTINUED:

“I think those records are important to get.”

There’s a man in Italy who complained when he was 13 that Miani molested him in the 1930, he was 13 in the 1930s. We want anything they have relating to the kid’s identity.

ME: IS HE STILL ALIVE?

DEMARCO: How do I know, because all I have is some documents describing the kid as making a complaint and his age and nothing else, but we know from other sources that he was a seminary student in Italy at the time. They seem to have information about him that they don’t want to give to us.

ME: HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY HAVE EVIDENCE AND DON’T WANT TO GIVE IT TO YOU, HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT?

DEMARCO: Because of the way they respond to us now.

They say there is no non-privileged information that they have.

In other words there is information that the Salesians have but they believe that it’s privileged.

So I was asking for at the minimum a privilege log. Show me -- describe the documents in a general sense, what they are, you know, let’s see whether or not attorney client or attorney work product applies.

So those are some of the things I’m looking for in this batch.
--------
ME: Well what does it matter really when

News Flash: The Salesians have really nothing to do with the Catholic Church.

After this:
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In Motion in Limine #5 filed earlier this month the Salesians Religious Order ask the judge to “exclude reference at trial (Nov. 5)to The Catholic Church, the Vatican, the Pope, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and/or Cardinal Mahony,” as those entities have nothing at all to do with the Salesians

(Hearing on Motions in Limine October 25 at 8:30 AM with Judge Haley Fromholz in La Superior Court).

They're asking plaintiffs to refrain from referring to the Church, as a whole, the Vatican, the Pope, etc, “as responsible for the alleged unlawful sexual conduct of Fr. Miani, Lorenzoni or Brother Murguia

The Salesians ask that “plaintiffs be instructed not to make any attempt to introduce testimony or evidence pertaining to the liability of the Catholic Church in Rome,” and all the rest of them.

Anything to do with the Catholic Church “has no bearing on the issues in this case.”

Comments by anybody about the church about anything just about -- “will undoubtedly mislead, confuse and distract”

And give jurors the impression “that any verdict in this case would be the responsibility of the C Church as a whole rather than the Salesian Society.”

COINCIDENTALLY

In an interview I did last week with a former Salesian brother for a story coming soon, his first statement was:

I studied for the Catholic priesthood with the Salesians beginning in ---

AND:

In 1960 there was no Catholic high school in Richmond so this now became a Catholic high school run by the Salesians.

AND

“We owe our allegience directly to a person called the Superior General who is in the mother house which is in Turin, Italy.

AND

“The Superior General is beholden directly to the Pope.”

That story has the working title “Ironic” and will be posted on City of Angels 7 later this week.

THE Salesians Motion in Limine against all evidence having anything to do with the Catholic Church is made on grounds that “such evidence is irrelevant to the issues presented in this lawsuit” which involves
“The Salesian Society and St. John Bosco high school only and will be confusing to the trier of fact.”

DEFENDANTS CONTINUE: “The Salesian society and Bosco high school are “entirely distinct entities from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.”

HERE’S A TWIST:

“Evidence concerning Archdiocese of Los Angeles and/or Mahony serves no purpose other than to unfairly prejudice defendants by inflaming the jury and creating bias in favor of plaintiffs.”

So they're claiming this total separation from the Catholic church in its entirety. That the Salesians are this entirely separate entity.

Re anything to do with Rome or the Pope the Salesians claim:

“Such evidence would imply to jurors that those organizations or parties are somehow related to or responsible for plaintiffs’ injuries.”

It would confuse a jury if they heard anything to do with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the upcoming Salesians trials. It would inflame their emotions.

Talking about the church “might lead the jury to conclude the Catholic Church, the Vatican, or the Pope is an ‘insurer’ of the actions of other Catholic organizations or entities.

“the defendants would be forced to attempt to rebut or otherwise introduce its own evidence on these totally irrelevant issues.”

Or jurors might think that Salesians “are responsible for the conduct of those entities.”

ATTORNEYS FOR THE Salesians ARE:

Stephen McFeely
Leila Nourani
Courtney Henning

From
FOLEY & LARDNER in Century City plus the recently added: David Morse from Texas.

More to come. . .

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So now I’m on a mania to get more clicks.
And then more clicks on the ads.
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Think of it as subscribing to a cosmic magazine and just every now and then when you feel you can or should, send me a high five -- or $500.
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Do no evil
I report all income to the IRS.
Thank you.
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Arrest records, opinions, settlements, and sex crimes of additional perps should be excluded as evidence say Salesian attorneys re jury trial Nov. 5

2007-10-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

Church attorneys for the Salesians want the court to exclude “evidence of Fr. Titian Miani’s 2003 arrest,” evidence of conduct by “persons other than Miani, Lorenzoni, and Marguia,” and my favorite in the arena of thought control, Motion in Limine No. 8: “To preclude expressions of personal opinions and references to litigation and/or settlements. . . . ”

Defense attorneys filed at least nine motions in limine Oct. 2nd trying to exclude evidence in the Salesians cases which go to jury trial November 5.

In hearings this morning the Salesians added David Morse from Texas as attorney in the upcoming jury trial. Morse came in to battle plaintiffs for the Salesians in the 2006 San Francisco trials. Today the Court granted leave to allege punitive damages in two of the upcoming cases against the Salesians, and Judge Haley Fromholz ordered attorneys on both sides to meet and confer on motions to compel documents and answers to interrogatories that the Salesians were trying to beat down.

I went downstairs to see what information the Salesians were trying to cover up this time and again arcscanweb wouldn't open the clergy case documents.

But the titles of the motions in limine say enough

First: “in limine” defined:

“Order regarding the admissibility of evidence whose exclusion is sought esp. on the ground that it is prejudicial"

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Here is the evidence attorneys for the Salesians want excluded: (Filed on October 2)

Motion in Limine No. 1

To preclude evidence of plaintiffs’ sexual abuse by Father Titian “Jim” Miani, Father Larry Lorenzoni, and Brother Ralph Marguia.

A second Motion in limine 1:

To exclude any reference to liability insurance in voir dire and trial.

I CAN’T FIND A NUMBER 2, THINK THAT SECONE NUMBER ONE WAS MIS-NUMBERED?

Motion in Limine No. 3

To exclude testimony re plaintiff’s knowledge of molestation of other victims of clergy abuse.

Motion in Limine No. 4

To exclude evidence of Fr. Titan Miani’s 2003 arrest.

CAN’T FIND NO. 5 IN THE DOCUMENTS THIS MORNING.

Motion in Limine No. 6

To exclude evidence of unlawful sexual conduct by persons other than Miani, Lorenzoni, and Marguia

Motion in Limine No. 7

To exclude post-abuse evidence unrelated to damages.

Motion in Limine No. 8

To preclude expressions of personal opinions and references to litigation and/or settlements in other actions arising out of allegations of childhood sexual abuse by clergy including the recent settlement by the archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Motion in Limine No. 9

To exclude all evidence relating to Larry Lorenzoni, Ralph Murguia, and the unidentified clergy person named by plaintiff Ron. H.

Also filed on October 2nd

Declaration of Courtney R. Henning in support of Motions in Limine of Salesians.

I can’t find a hearing date on calendar for these motions about evidence in the Salesian Cases but this motion to Bifurcate these same cases was filed on the same date by defendants and is on calendar for October 25,

Same date as Final Status Conference for the Miani Cases.

Next: Disturbing testimony in court this morning, after this:

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A mother, two children, and an attorney were in court, and due to calendar problems, they had to sit through Clergy Case hearings. So they overheard:

CHURCH ATTORNEY: Miani says it was an altercation, a fight and during the fight he grabbed his testicles, that's not for any sexual interest. It was to inflict pain, it was a fight, that's not childhood sexual abuse.

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: It’s him sneaking at five in the morning into this kid’s top bunk of the second floor, straddling him, and when the kid is resisting, reaching around and grabbing his testicles. That's not a fight, it’s an assault.

THESE KIDS ARE SITTING BEHIND ME FROM ANOTHER CASE AND HAD TO HEAR ALL THAT

It’s okay. They're waiting because they need an Spanish interpreter for their case.

The kids don’t understand a word
Well the mom doesn't understand, the kids do

They got to overhear the clergy cases testicle issues on their big day in court today.
*****
City of Angels Lady will have to hit the ground floor document room at superior court another day this week to read the actual arguments by Church attorneys to exclude this evidence, since once again only the arcscanweb documents, or only the clergy case documents, would not open today. . . (slap down that paranoia and keep going forward)

More to come. . .

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“Documents regarding Mary Grant exist but could not be located,” per OC DA, case cont'd to 10.11.07, plus more Salesian cases released for trial

2007-10-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
About 27 attorneys waited for court to start and a gaggle more were in the hallway last Wednesday for a status conference on the clergy cases Los Angeles. Also on calendar that morning was a motion to enforce subpoenas on Orange County law enforcement agencies. In my corner seat I got boxed in by men’s crossed legs and briefcases on the floor.

Attorney behind me: “We got lucky 'cause not only do we represent 30 plaintiffs but we also get money from (names names with lots of zzi’s on the end.) (That's plaintiff attorney humor.) Almost all 27 were attorneys I’d never seen before. “My name is [TOTALLY UNINTELLIGIBLE]” said the guy next to me and grinned. “A lot of us who’ve been around these cases a while like to keep an amount of anonymity.”

“What is the status conference about today?” I asked and the guy with the Italian clients said, “That's what a lot of us would like to know.” “The order was vague,” piped in another. Soon the court clerk called out and the room emptied as all 27 plus attorneys went into the judge’s chambers, then 25 or so came out 30 seconds later. “They only want to meet with the liaisons,” the attorney said and they all resumed their seats. I couldn't get out. . .

An hour later the hearing on Clergy Cases Los Angeles status began, followed by the hearing on Motion to Enforce Subpoenas on the Orange County District Attorney.

JUDGE FROMHOLZ: I spoke with liaison council in chambers and one thing we accomplished is cases we can release.

He lists names of plaintiff cases that can’t be released.

JUDGE: Okay so other than those, 12 will be released.

KATHERINE FREBERG: I represent (names) six victims of Jessie Rodriquez, and a January 28 trial date is already set. Currently it’s at the Federal District Court for diocese of San Bernardino --

JUDGE: This gets a little complicated. Those cases are released as of this morning. It’s not necessary at this time to take action on any of the remaining cases so it’s my intention not to.

(ME: [shaking my head I make this note:] All they were able to sort out today was a few more Salesian cases.)

(ME: At the July 16 hearing re the settlement all the parties agreed to turn into the court a summary of which cases remain and which have been settled.

The summary document was due on July 31, 2007.)

(ME: WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG to sort things out???)

Lots of grim mouths on faces of defense and plaintiff attorneys

Documents have disappeared in Mary Grant’s Case: After this:

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RE ORANGE COUNTY SUBPOENAS
That's another question -- what's going on there?

On Aug 30 Freberg’s office filed Motion to Enforce Subpoena served on Orange County district attorney. The documents in question are regarding Father John Lenihan.

Freberg’s office writes: “Father John Lenihan is a former priest and an admitted pedophile. Lenihan worked in parishes and schools within Orange County for the RC archdiocese of Los Angeles and the RC bishop of Orange when he molested Plaintiff Mary Catherine Grant and at least one other known minor sexual abuse victim (FEMALE NAME) in the 1970s and 1980s.”

Plaintiff served a subpoena on the OCDA for the Production of documents relating to the priest who sexually molested her and

“Lenihan did not object to the production of these documents, however, the OCDA objected to Plaintiff’s subpoena."

Freberg continues: "On May 29 2007 plaintiff issued a deposition subpoena for production of business records to the OCDA.

OCDA Objects to Plaintiffs Subpoena

“On or about August 24, 2007 after nearly two months the OCDA objected on the following grounds:

1 Privacy
2 Penal Code Section 293
3 Documents regarding Mary Grant exist but could not be located.

Here is what took place at the hearing last Wednesday:

TOM RUTHERFORD (ATTORNEY FOR THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF ORANGE)

KATHERINE FREBERG ON BEHALF OF MARY GRANT

CHURCH ATTORNEY RUTHERFORD: We discussed in the hallway a variety of issues. Ms. Freberg has made a suggestion to work through this issue that will take a while for me to talk over with my client, so we want to come back on Thursday October 12.

JUDGE: To report on the resolve of your issues, okay….

CHURCH ATTORNEY RUTHERFORD: Another problem wasn’t addressed, would have been this week or late last week, maybe around last week of September--

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY KATHERINE FREBERG: We issued a subpoena in May of 2007. We’ve made a lot of efforts, held a lot of meet and confers, I’m hoping it can be resolved but we do want a definite hearing date.

We've tried everything that we can, it may require a court order.

JUDGE: A hearing was noticed for today, was the opposition timely?

CHURCH ATTORNEY RUTHERFORD: We met and discussed and now have this proposal to work through it and now I need a few days to do that.

JUDGE: Defense counsel needs further time to discuss with his client.

CHURCH ATTORNEY RUTHERFORD: (interrupts) I’m Opposing counsel. I don't represent a defendant.

(The whole room stops in silence a moment at that.)
JUDGE: Alright, continued to October 11th 8:30

I have a feeling it’s the documents regarding Mary Grant that exist but could not be located, that are holding things up.

FINAL NOTE:
You never know what direction this story is going to take:

It’s not the fact that priests raped children regularly

and when priests were caught the bishops moved them somewhere else where they could continue raping children

that is going to drive people away from the Catholic Church.

It’s that bishops have the audacity to ask parishioners to pay for it.

Especially the wealthy residents of San Diego's hillsides.

That the San Diego bishop would even consider asking parishioners to pay when the Vatican is sitting on all that wealth would be astounding.

But what can you expect from Brom and his boy pals? They've been lubricating the green out of those hills of San Diego for decades.

More to come:

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"Imagine dealing with 300 triggered survivors for 4 years"-- Thank you letter to plaintiff attorneys

2007-10-06T07:42:00.001-07:00

*****
(City of Angels Lady is buried in videos for work and unable to post, but wants to share this letter:)
Re interview with Tony DeMarco
(September 23 post)

Tony is a good guy. He handled my case for KBLA for the vast majority of the issues that arose. When I was being deposed his wife was in labor so Paul Kiesel and Cheryl Buchanan handled that.

I know we all tend to get cynical about lawyers at times and when you look at the behavior of the defense lawyers in these cases it's justified often times...my mind goes back to Cody Stanton's motion for summary judgment in my case.

But I think most survivors are if they are anything else, pretty good judges of character....their perps excluded of course. Surviving on the street makes that necessary.

I know that Tony, Cheryl and Paul did their dead level best. They didn't do this for a check, that went out that window a looong time ago if it was ever there at all. The defense stirred up a lot of BS about "greedy lawyers" while getting paid millions themselves. And in the end, what did their clients get for their money? Not much. Not much at all.

I believe that the survivors' lawyers made a huge difference in this case because they knew we were in the right morally. Unlike diocese attorneys, they were highly invested in the case, financially yes and otherwise as well.

They wanted that which was right to prevail.

How they found the time to deal over 300 clients and do so with the compassion and patience that they exhibited is beyond me. Can you imagine dealing with 300 triggered survivors for 4 years? Holy shit!

I have whined about not knowing the amount of my settlement yet, but that isn't their department. What was their department, taking our cases up against 16, 17, 18, or more diocese retained legal firms, and making them pay in loud big numbers, was.

A $200 million dollar settlement in the face of a full on assault from the richest dioceses in this country is an honest testament to their legal skills that will go into the history books along side the LA settlement.

I can honestly say that I'll miss calling them occasionally.

Mike in AZ

Giuliani hired the pedophile priest who crafted Church defense of pedophile priests, while a New York pedophile priest predator himself

2007-10-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
How did a predator pedophile priest end up as legal counsel at a center for pedophile priests, crafting Catholic legal strategies for pedophile priests at the same time as he was committing sex crimes against minors himself? Today that same Monsignor Alan Placa is close advisor to Rudy Giuliani who is running for President of the United States.

It’s been eerie to watch a DVD I got in the mail last week. The video shows Placa when he was legal adviser in the early 1980s to the House of Affirmation in Massachusetts. On the undated disk, Placa speaks to “church leaders” about how to handle this new problem of child sex abuse showing up in parishes. (A sampling from the transcript of that video is at cityofangels 7 click here. )

Today we know that around the same time this smarmy puffy well fed perpetually smiling Placa is speaking to the camera he is apparently committing sex crimes against children himself.

The fenagling Placa ended up as legal council to a national center for pedophile priests when he himself was a pedophile priest. In fact he became an attorney because in 1978, the year after students say they made their initial complaints about him, the archdiocese sent Placa to Hofstra University School of Law so he could better serve the church as an expert in "social service law."

As Newsday reported in June 2002, Placa in the early 1980s “crisscrossed the country giving seminars to priests, contributed a chapter in a book on priest sex abuse and consulted for the House of Affirmation in Whitinsville, Mass., a now-defunct treatment center for priests with sex abuse and other problems,”

Sex crime allegations against Placa himself are described best in these paragraphs from an earlier article in Newsday that caused such a ruckus Placa had to resign. That's when Giuliani hired him at his consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, assuring that Placa continues to be fed in the manner he’s grown accustomed.

“Richard Tollner, 43, a mortgage broker now living in the Albany area, said he told prosecutors he had his first encounter with the priest in January 1975, on a day that classes were out, and the teen had come in to help make banners for a Right to Life march in Washington, D.C.

“He said the priest pulled out some posters in the deserted administrative area as if to show him something, and then began fondling him - all the while making conversation about the posters.

“Tollner said the incidents repeated every month or so for the next year and a half. "It was always groping," he said. "He'd draw his hand deliberately to the inside of my thigh, and over my penis. It would go on for four or five minutes, sometimes as long as 10."

“A high school friend said Tollner told him about one incident soon after it occurred. ‘This isn't a figment of his imagination 25 years later,’ said Kevin Waldron of San Francisco. ‘He told me about it shortly after it happened. I'm certain of it.’

“A second former student, who asked that his name be withheld, said he described to Suffolk prosecutors what he called ‘the newspaper drill.’

‘He always had a New York Times in his office. And he'd sit down next to you on the couch in his office and open it wide and, inevitably, his hand would brush your crotch," the man said. "He did it over and over again, I can't tell you how many times.’

“That man said he felt so violated that he wrote Placa an unsigned letter 20 years later, blaming him for his loss of interest in pursuing the priesthood.

“Placa has unequivocally denied any sexual misconduct complaints were ever brought against him, and recalled Tollner as ‘a troubled kid, very emotional, who would fly off the handle easily.’

“There is no written record of the students' complaints. But sources confirmed that the two men recently outlined their complaints to officials in the Suffolk County district attorney's office,”

But if that's not enough evidence to make you wonder about close top advisor to Rudy Giuliani Alan Placa’s character, consider how he was known to handle complaints about sex crimes of Catholic priests that inevitably came across his desk as council to the House of Affirmation.

Placa was forced to stop being a priest not just for sex crimes alleged against himself, but also for his handling of sex crimes as they were reported to him.

The New York Times reported in April 2002, “Several families, for instance, have accused him (Placa) of trying to extract information from victims in his capacity as a spiritual adviser, then using that information to help the diocesan legal strategy.

And as the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported last July:

“Victims in New York have accused Monsignor Placa of presenting himself as a priest in interviews with them when he was really acting as the lawyer for the Rockville Centre Diocese. Monsignor Placa has denied these accusations.

What the f-- do you want me to do about it?

-- Monsignor Placa to priest sex crime survivor trying to report

Newsday reported in that June 2002 article that when Placa visited victims to question them about cases of sex crimes one victim reported:

"His position was to always not believe what I was saying and to stick up for the church," said Carlo Ciliberti, 43, of Phoenix, who said in a 1994 lawsuit that he was abused from age 12 to 17 by the Rev. Jerry Chasse at St. Luke's Parish in Brentwood. The suit was dismissed because it was filed outside the statute of limitations.

"In one phone call," Ciliberti said, "he said to me after I told him about Chasse, 'What the --- do you want me to do about it?' Chasse ruined my life."

"Placa made it worse. I had to beg for everything. He just wanted me to settle and be quiet. He made me suffer even worse."

Placa’s House Of Affirmation was a Pedophile Boot Camp

The House of Affirmation “was presented as a retreat for vocational redirection.” Reports the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette, July 22nd.

“What we have found out since, and what it has been called in the Blackstone Valley by people who really know what went on there, is that it was a pedophile boot camp," reports a 1970s employee who settled a “six-figure" lawsuit with the Worcester Diocese due to sexually assault as a minor by the Rev.. Thomas H. Teczar at St. Mary in Uxbridge.

It’s amazing: Rudy Giuliani, the divorced catholic republican who believes in abortion is a candidate for the president mainly because of his connection to Nine Eleven in which Giuliani was a phenomenal failure.

In the 1980s his close priest friend (the one who annuled his first marriage) was allegedly a child molester while at the same time acting as legal council for priests accused of child molestation. Also at this time Place creating the blueprint for defending perpetrator priests for the national Catholic Church.

You can’t make this stuff up:

At Bishopaccountability dot org:

Giuliani Has Connection with Accused Priest
Placa Was Legal Adviser for Whitinsville Center

By Shaun Sutner
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
July 22, 2007

“The monsignor was closely associated with several Central Massachusetts priests who were at the center of a clergy sex abuse scandal in the 1990s.

At least three lawsuits were filed by area residents who said they were assaulted as boys by priests at the Whitinsville facility. The accused priests included colleagues of Monsignor Placa, one of whom was the Rev. Thomas A. Kane, former pastor of St. Mary Church in Uxbridge.

Monsignor Placa still lives in the rectory of the Long Island church where Monsignor Brendan Riordan, a former director of the House of Affirmation who was named in a sex abuse lawsuit settled by the Worcester Diocese in the mid-1990s, is pastor. He has also owned property in New York with Monsignor Riordan and co-owned property in Florida with him and Rev. Kane.”

Also at Bishop accountability on Placa:

Placa is a "childhood friend" of the ferret-hating fascist. But Rudy must've distanced himself from the accused child molester once the charges were made public and Placa was "stripped of his duties" as a priest, right? Right?

Ha ha, of course not. Placa was outed by Newsday in 2002, and it was after Placa's alleged crimes were known and the multi-million-dollar lawsuits were filed and the criminal investigations began that Rudy hired his buddy — Placa has been taking a paycheck from Rudy for five years now.

Wonkette July 23, 2007
========

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Giuliani’s advisor Monsignor Alan Placa is accused of being a pedophile priest during the same years he worked as legal counsel to a recovery center for pedophile priests. He crafted many of the legal strategies carried out by the Catholic Church Attorneys in handling its sex crimes crisis.

Will the abortion approving Catholic Republican candidate have the pedophile priest who arranged the annulment of his 12-year marriage as a high ranking member of his cabinet if he’s elected president? So if you like the way the Church handled its pedophile priests, you'll love the way Giuliani conducts his presidency.

Undoubtedly he's have around him advisors such as the seriously implicated predator priest and abbettor of other predator priest criminals, Monsignor Alan J. Placa.

More to Come. . .

Transcript of video of Alan Placa is at http://cityofangels7.blogspot.com

Trying to depose Salesians: “It appeared that a line was drawn in the sand and I assume it is because these are critical witnesses in the case”

2007-09-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
Coming through security at Superior Court Wednesday I kept my shoes on and when the beeper went off I stood, raised my arm, said, “It’s just the pin and the shoes.” No panic attack, (see September 21 post) no removing every possible metalic thing to avoid the baton, although I did get good advice from “Anonymous Reader” who suggested

“If you are having anxiety, please ask Bishop Tod Brown to send you to Southdown up in Canada with Monsignor Urell!”

Arrive at court, clerk is in midst of taping a newly printed version of calendar outside the door, as plaintiff’s Motions to Compel Depositions had iexplicably disappeared from the calendar (Deja Vu) then been penned back on as Number 12. Inside as we wait for the judge, a plaintiff attorney reads the tentative then nods to me, yes it was granted.

I watch Church Attorney Steve McFeely and my first urge is to write something nasty but he looks so vulnerable and defeated as he reads. Plaintiff Attorney Helen Zukin walks up to him and puts her face right in front of his as she speaks. McFeely is so crushed, deflated, looking into her face -- Helen has one of those striking faces that make you just stop and gaze, obviously a gift from God, and she uses all her assets. McFeely, very central casting for Irish Cop, nods and agrees to whatever it is Zukin is saying.

HEARING

JUDGE HALEY FROMHOLZ: 1st is regarding Father Schafer and Reina anything to add?

MCFEELY: There is. I’m troubled by the fact that neither plaintiffs nor court deal with any of the issues that were raised in the objections

In particular speculation. These men one born in 1947 are being asked about things that happened in 1947. Plaintiff’s council says it’s relevant, sure it’s relevant but it’s speculation.

(ME: At this point I twitch a little, but then smile. I’m trying to give this Church Attorney a chance, and he looks much more like my Uncle Pete [the old Irish cop he was] than that other church attorney from Hennigan’s office. His tone of voice is getting nasty but I’m trying to describe him still as down home, sort of. . . . )

MCFEELY: Maybe there wasn’t a policy or procedure in effect in 1947, and if there was, whether it’s relevant or not these men aren’t going to know that. They weren’t there. This line of questioning in appropriate and harassing.

JUDGE: Alright, Miss Zukin, re Relevant but too attenuating?

ZUKIN: The crux is notice. What they did or didn't do. We have testimony that a document was in this perpetrator’s file when he first came to the order.

Plus Father Schaffer has been there for many-many years in many capacities and both have held a variety of leadership roles

(ME: Hmm, they seem to switch roles a lot, haven’t we heard that before? Hmm.)

ZUKIN: They have knowledge of current and historical policies. They would know how things were done in the past or be able to direct us to who might know. It all goes to the crux of the case which is notice.

MCFEELY: If you want to know what the rules and procedures were, ask. She didn't. That's not what the objections are here. If they want to know about somebody who was there in 1947 ask it. We're here about the speculation they were asked to participate in.

JUDGE; Okay now 2: Deposition re --

MCFEELY: As the court may know I’m getting in late in the clergy one game here --

(ME: Right. He was defending the Salesians in San Francisco in 2006, fighting Joey Piscitelli and others in the Bay Area for years before that. Now he says he hasn’t been paying that much attention to what's been happening in LA for the last three years?)

MCFEELY: And now I’m getting more familiar with what the rules are. We've lived through Canadian depositions dropped on our doorstep. Now we understand that with this tentative you'll agree to a set specific date for depositions -- we need time to prepare witness and travel plans. If it’s a problem it’s a problem and we're dealing with this right as we prepare for trial.

(ME: Then he drops a big one)

MCFEELY: Your honor, tomorrow morning you can count on it there will be the 13th ex parte on this deposition in two months. I suggest what they did with these in August dropping them off and moving them off, was in appropriate.

(ME: Okay that does it.

This guy has descended into low blows and I hate to say this but this sounds sexist to me. The tone of his voice is pure:

Here she is this nagging female nagging and nagging

It’s called being persistent when a defendant is obstructing justice.

But because it’s a female attorney, McFeely is using his tone of voice to get the judge to agree it’s just a female nagging.

SO NOW IT’S TIME TO PASTE BACK IN THAT NASTY NOTE I CUT OUT BEFORE THE HEARING BEGAN:

I watch McFeely read the tentative where the motion he fought was granted. I want to warn him about how expressions etch into a face, and if you look angry and mean all the time as you age your face begins to look more and more like a Halloween fright wig.)

BACK TO HEARING

ZUKIN: The trial date (had to be) continued. One of the reasons we needed it continued was to get the Stockton personnel file of the perpetrator. We do not have those documents yet. For one of those deposition the telephone hearing was set and it was the only date

(Details details details)

(ME: Zukin, unfortunately, fell for McFeely’s trap. He treated her like a nagging wife and she started going on and on about details like a nagging wife did. But she didn't sound like one. She can’t. Not with that face. . . . )

ZUKIN: I notified that because we didn't have the documents and because trial date just continued, we needed a continuance until we got the documents.

No one wanted to engage in discussion with me and I sent an email about that. This surprised me because in most deposition there is cooperation back and forth.

(IMPORTANT POINT:)

ZUKIN: But for these two (DEPOSITIONS OF MICHAEL J. ALVAREZ & THOMAS PRENDERVILLE) it appeared that a line was drawn in the sand and I assume it is because these are critical witnesses in the case.

REPEAT: It appeared that a line was drawn in the sand and I assume it is because these are critical witnesses in the case

MCFEELY: Again it has to do with how we present to the court. Mr. Alvarez is being described by plaintiffs as being an important witness, a key witness. This is 2007. He runs the school defendant high school.

(ME: I love that “Defendant High School.)

MCFEELY: He knows nothing about what happened in 1947 or 1957 or 1965. I have to raise this issue now, your honor, because we're apparently going to keep coming back here until the trial date November 5.

(ME: THERE IT IS! He’s coming right out and admitting they're going to obstruct and obstruct right up to the date of trial.)

MCFEELY: I hope we can support our assertions without just asserting them. To say he’s a key witness--

JUDGE: I would expect depositions on both sides to be leading to relevant information. And if the witness has nothing to say it would be a very short deposition.

REPEAT: If the witness has nothing to say it would be a very short deposition.

SO NOTHING MCFEELY IS SAYING is relevant.
He’s going on and on predicting that these witnesses will have nothing to say instead of just letting the plaintiffs ask the witness, do you have something to say?

If the witnesses don’t have anything to say, end of deposition.

That's what the judge is trying to get across, but Fromholz should know by now logic doesn't have anything to do with defendants’ arguments when what they're trying to do is prevent information from coming out by any means possible.)

JUDGE: I don't want to be involved in all the discovery disputes that arise. Council is obligated to conduct discovery in professional manner that doesn't affect either side.

(ME: I’m not sure which side he’s scolding here, and from my perspective he should have been looking straight at McFeely, not at both of them. But there may be things I don't know. McFeely does not return my calls.)

EXPARTE AFTER EXPARTE

Here’s the part I don't know about. McFeely is claiming that day in and day out Zukin requests ex partes, in other words sessions with the attorneys and the judge in chambers where the public (i.e., me) can’t observe.

I go document diving after the hearing and don’t see any streams of ex parte motions in the database, but not everything gets scanned in right away. . . .

JUDGE: If there is another discovery dispute going to be brought in tomorrow morning on an ex parte basis --

(ME: As McFeely predicted in his earlier rant, "Helen Zukin just files ex parte after ex parte." Funny, there should be a few of them then at least in the public documents by now if it’s been going on that way for months as he implies. I didn't see any when I looked for them. . . )

JUDGE: -- I would hope that you could talk about it before you leave here and make that ex parte unnecessary. I’ve been liberal about accepting these ex partes in the clergy cases, but we’ve pared away a lot of cases here. The Salesians cases ought to be capable of being handled in a more organized way than the previous cases because there isn’t as much of a problem with allocation of time.

MCFEELY: A lot of people are working on these cases, I’m not familiar with it --

(ME: There he goes lying again. What was he on Mars since 2006 when he defended the Salesians in San Francisco?)

MCFEELY: I’m not in a position I can only say that it’s a prediction. The ex parte was first noticed for today then yesterday, now tomorrow --

(ME: That explains sort of why it was taken off calendar and penned back in this morning.)

JUDGE: (IN ORDERING TONE OF VOICE) Arrive at a resolution that's satisfactory

ZUKIN: It’s a matter of us not receiving information that we had requested and was not agreed to.

(She starts to set up date for a meet and confer.)

MCFEELY: I can’t do that. I’m familiar with my schedule but not the witnesses.

JUDGE: Let’s put a no later than date.

ZUKIN: For the depositions to occur?

JUDGE: Yes.

ZUKIN: No later than October 12th?

JUDGE: Does that give you enough time, Mr. McFeely>

MCFEELY: If it’s two or four we're running into expert witness issues we're running into issues with deposition next week but . . . (SHOULDERS SAG)

MCFEELY: We'll just have to do it.

SO the Salesians are now committed to provide MICHAEL J. ALVAREZ & THOMAS PRENDERVILLE and allow depositions of same before October 12th.

More to Come. . .

NEXT POST: DOCUMENT DIVING

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Sex crimes can be funny, especially when it's the Salesians, as pedophile priests and their bosses continue to defend their behavior

2007-09-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
If I’m going to spend the next 50 years writing about sex crimes in the Catholic Church at least there’ll be a lot of laughter in my life, as I have to admit, the more I research and learn about the schemes and lies of men in robes flitting around altars and rectories, the more I have outbursts of uncontrollable laughter. The Catholic priests in America provide so much fodder for off-color jokes that Comedy Central and Mad TV writers will never be without filler material.

With a Salesian case headed for jury trial November 5, I called Joey Piscitelli to talk about his case against the Salesians that went to trial in July 2006 in Northern California. “What happened in my case," he said, "is you have to have notice that they knew or should have known. And how I had enough notice was the very first time Whelan masturbated in front of me Brother Sal Billante was watching.”

I burst out laughing and so did Joey. I mean they established prior notice by showing that another priest from the same order was taking part in the sex act as a voyeur? That's notice for ya. And with each laugh comes a flush of healing.

Wednesday morning is another hearing regarding Salesian cases heading for trial November 5 in LA Superior Court. Plaintiffs are asking the judge to grant their Motion to Compel Answers From FATHER WILLIAM SCHAFER and FATHER NICHOLAS REINA and Motion to Compel depositions of MICHAEL J. ALVAREZ & THOMAS PRENDERVILLE (re cases BC308301 & BC308555) City of Angels Lady will be there Wednesday morning and report on the hearing.

When we stopped laughing long enough Joey went on about his trial:

“Brother Sal Billante served eight years for 38 counts of child molestation himself. Now this is this the guy that was watching, not the guy that molested me. So he was in San Quentin, right.

"They put him on the witness stand to say I was a liar.

ME: [UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER] I’M SORRY, THIS IS NOT NICE OF ME TO LAUGH AT THIS HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN YOUR LIFE.

JOEY: It is hilarious. It is hilarious.

Dealing with the horror of these experiences over a prolonged period has made my emotions like extreme-stretch elastic. Sure I cry barrels of tears in rages that last days at a time, but lately I also seem to have just as much elasticity in the amount of humor I can feel. When Joey said those words in that matter of fact tone, the laugh was from deep in the belly of the soul, healing, long lasting, exhilarating.

Last week the Salesians tried to get their cases in LA dismissed before the trial because the plaintiff Ron H wasn’t just raped by Titian Miani, but apparently Brother Ralph Marguia and Father Larry Lorenzoni raped him as well, with Church Attorney Steve McFeely arguing that somehow since he was raped by more priests than Titian Miani it was grounds for dismissing the case. He lost.

“Their leader Don Bosco, the one who started the Salesians,” Joey Piscitelli said. “He was with real young boys. And with the Salesians history of child molestation, my opinion is that Don Bosco was a pedophile and they followed in his tracks.”

Piscitelli said the Class of 1959 Salesian High School in Richmond had a class reunion recently and as reported in San Francisco Weekly: “There were 20 boys in the class,” Joey said. “Out of the 20 boys 15 of them said they were molested by priests at the seminary.”

I’m beginning to think that a few centuries ago Catholics set up the whole altar boy system so the priests who were trying to be celibate could still have sex with somebody.

Bosco created the Salesian Order to bring vulnerable boys from poverty stricken homes into the church when they're young. In Salesian rectories, schools, and camps the sex crimes were blatant and carried on out in the open. It looks to me like Don Bosco in the early 1800s just set out on his own to get even better access to little boys than they had with altar boys and Sunday Mass.

I think Don Bosco set up the Salesians to create a way to have access to young boys.

Joey seemed to agree: “The Salesians I think they carried on the history and, you know, the handing down. They molested the boys in the seminaries who were then molesting the boys who came to seminary. To them that was normal.”

Me: And then the boys grow up to become Salesian priests?

Joey: And they do it again and it’s been handed down generation after generation beginning with Don Bosco.

ACCUSED SALESIAN PRIESTS / CLERICS
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA -- after this message from me;

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ACCUSED SALESIAN PRIESTS / CLERICS
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

1) Fr. Steve Whelan
Found responsible for molestation in court trial July 2006. Was kept in ministry with children for 2 ½ years after lawsuit was filed, 2003, by Bishop Levada, and Bishop Niederauer of S. F. Former vice principal, Salesian High, Richmond.

2) Fr. Bernard Dabbene. Convicted child abuser. Accused by several victims. Named in lawsuits. Former principal, Salesian High, Richmond

3) Bro. Sal Billante
Convicted serial child abuser. Shuffled to several
locations. Sent to prison. Named in several lawsuits. Former head of Boys Club, Salesian High, Richmond.

4) Fr. Richard Presenti.
Admitted child abuser. Accused serial molester.
Named in lawsuits. Former administrator, Salesian High, Richmond. Made principal at a Salesian School, even after abuse complaints were made.

5) Bro. Ernie Martinez.
Accused child molester. Named in lawsuit.
Former administrator at Salesian High, Richmond.

6) Fr. Jim Miani
Accused child molester. Named in lawsuits. Former
Teacher, Salesian High, Richmond.

7)Fr. Al Mengon
Accused abuser, in court documents in 2 ,C.C.C. court
depositions filed 2006. Former teacher - Salesian High, Richmond.

8)Bro. John Vas
Accused child molester. Report made at Richmond
Police Dept. 2002 . Former teacher, Salesian High, Richmond.

9)Mr. Sam Vitone.
Accused molester. Court trial 2006. Former Teacher, Salesian High School, Richmond.

10) Fr. Harold Danielson
Accused child abuser. Named in lawsuit. Kept in ministry, with access to children, by Bishop Levada, and Bishop Niederauer, San Francisco. Former-Salesian school.

11) Fr. Larry Lorenzoni
Accused child molester. Named in lawsuit. Accused also by Salesian High student. Ministry in San Francisco.

12) Bro. Dan Pacheco
Accused molester at both Salesian schools. Died in 1999.

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More to come. . .

INTERVIEW: Tony DeMarco talks about upcoming jury trial and fighting Goliath for discovery of sex crimes in the LA Catholic Church.

2007-09-23T07:45:00.001-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

“They were going to try every trick in the book and create new books for new tricks. Their strategy was to prevent the sordid history from coming out.” -- DeMarco

(The plaintiff liaison attorney in the LA Clergy Cases had a few minutes to talk last Friday about upcoming jury trials with the Salesians and some reflections on fighting Goliath to bring out sex crimes in the Catholic Church. Here's the interview:)

IS THERE SOME KIND OF GOLDEN PARAGRAPH THAT DESCRIBES THE ENTIRE SETTLEMENT?

DEMARCO: Not yet. It’s close. The documentation is very, very close.

IS THERE A STATEMENT IN THE SETTLEMENT THAT STATES RELEASE OF PERSONNEL FILES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS IS PART OF THE SETTLEMENT --

DEMARCO: It will be in the settlement agreement, yes. It’s being drafted.

DO YOU THINK THE CHURCH WILL TRY TO GET OUT OF RELEASING FILES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS?

DEMARCO: They're creative. They don’t like seeing the stuff come out, so they'll try to find a way, but we've got a process put in place and here in LA we've got judges who see the need for making this information known to the public.

THESE CASES MUST HAVE WREAKED HAVOC WITH YOUR HOME LIFE.

DEMARCO: This is something I put my heart and soul into. I think it -- I hope it showed. I think the clients appreciated it and saw it. You know, it wasn’t hard going to sleep at night knowing whether or not I was on the side of right or wrong.

But with that comes a great responsibility and that weighed real heavy for the last five years. So it’s nice to see this coming to a conclusion in some respects.

WERE YOU SHOCKED AT THE WAY THE CHURCH FOUGHT BACK?

No, I mean -- it -- I came to expect it. That they were going to try every trick in the book and create new books for new tricks. I mean they just -- they fight everything. You know, and early on I was shocked and then as time went on you just try to figure a way to get what you need, even with all the things that they're doing.

DO YOU THINK THEY EVER MADE A REALLY LEGITIMATE LEGAL ARGUMENT?

There were some legal arguments along the way that were closer than others but I think their overall strategy was to prevent as much of the information about the sordid history from coming out as they possibly could.

YOU KNOW I’M GOING TO USE THIS?

It’s a fair statement. That was one of their major aims, to keep this away from the public view.

AND HOW DID THEY DO THAT?

They do that by preventing you from getting the information, either in depositions or getting documents. Or by making you work exceptionally hard for every little shred of information you get.

I mean, there were very professional people on the other side too, so I don't mean to say across the board everyone on the other side tried to do things that were underhanded, I don't think that at all.

But as an over arching aim, Kay, they wanted to prevent the truth of depravity in the institution from coming into the public view. That was an over arching aim of their legal strategy.

They would be very creative about thinking up new arguments about privileges that didn't exist and take us years to get past because it takes a while to work things through the legal system, and that worked, that worked in their favor.

And at the very same time they were trying to go after as much personal information from each and every plaintiff and plaintiff family member as they possibly could. They were trying to drain people and, you know, to some people it probably happened. But I think people stayed pretty resolute through this.

THEY WERE TRYING TO DRAIN THE PLAINTIFFS?

And the plaintiffs’ lawyers. I mean there aren’t too many plaintiffs’ law firms out that there that could have afforded to go through five years’ worth of daily bruising litigation without seeing much come in in the interim. That's a really tough thing to do. The folks at the large firms, here at KBLA and at Kathy’s (Freberg's) office took huge-huge risks, huge risks.

And they took those risks fully knowing what the risk was, that it was an ever present danger these firms could be bankrupted because of taking this litigation on.

I don't think people fully appreciate that, but day in and day out salaries are getting paid to fight and fight and fight.

I don't think people realize how much of a David and Goliath it really was. You have one of the largest most powerful richest institutions in the world, that we spent five years trying to go after.

We dug deeper, and when the documents start coming out from what we were able to find, people will appreciate it more.

And I think we dug deeper in this litigation than anyone ever has in any litigation against the church. We deposed more people, we got more documents.

IS THAT BECAUSE OF CALIFORNIA’S DISCOVERY LAWS?

I think a large measure of it was because of the tenacity of the people going after it. But yeah that we have decent discovery laws in this state and the statute of limitations being passed allowing people to file was a huge part of it. But --

It took a lot of work.

I mean the other side, even with discovery law the way it is, they weren’t going to willingly give stuff up. We had to go fight and fight, file motion after motion, go through battle after battle. And oftentimes you couldn't even go that way. We had to go and find witnesses themselves, track them down independently, get witness statements. It was a lot of work, a lot of money.

And we're still doing it with the Salesians. I mean we've got a November 5th trial there and if it goes, I’m very much looking forward to it.

YOU THINK THE LA SALESIANS CASE WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO A JURY TRIAL NOVEMBER 5?

DEMARCO: It might. It really might. I think it stands as good a chance as any case at all ever did. Because of the position these guys are taking. Now it could change, you know how these things work, but they are the most recalcitrant. The Salesians have been the most recalcitrant religious order in California.

In Northern California -- Joey Piscitelli’s case and then there was another one that John Manly tried back just before that, the last two, Salesians hung for a trial. They just wanted to try the last of their cases. They ended up having to pay in both those cases.

(UPDATE: The Salesians haven’t paid Joey yet.

A jury awarded Piscitelli $300,000 from the Salesians after a 3-week trial July 2006.
The Salesians appealed, then filed for a year’s extension last July.

See interview with Joey Piscitelli here at city of angels blog soon.)

WHAT OTHER TRIALS ARE DEFINITELY SET IN NEXT WEEKS?

At the moment probably the only really definite trial is the November 5th trial. There’s another one set for trial in January involving the Salesians again and Father Dominguez. And that's one of Kathy Freberg’s cases. January. There’s also still a trial date on calendar for the Claretians cases, involving Father Lovell. Kathy’s office can give you more details on that one.

DID YOU EVER GET TO DEPO MONSIGNOR LIRETTE?

Did we do a follow-up after our motion, no. I’m understanding he passed away.

OH. WELL, THANK YOU, MR. DEMARCO.

(WATCH HERE FOR MORE INTERVIEWS WITH KEY PERSONS)

More to Come. . .

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INTERVIEW: Tony DeMarco talks about upcoming Salesians trial and the July 16th settlement re sex crimes in the LA Catholic Church.

2007-09-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
“They were going to try every trick in the book and create new books for new tricks. Their strategy was to prevent the sordid history from coming out.”
--Plaintiff Attorney Tony DeMarco

I caught Tony DeMarco with time to talk last Friday. Here's the interview where he talks about upcoming jury trials re Salesians cases and some of his thoughts on batlling "Goliath" to expose decades of sex crimes in the Catholic Church.

IS THERE SOME KIND OF GOLDEN PARAGRAPH THAT DESCRIBES THE ENTIRE SETTLEMENT?

DEMARCO: Not yet. It’s close. The documentation is very, very close.

IS THERE A STATEMENT IN THE SETTLEMENT THAT STATES RELEASE OF PERSONNEL FILES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS IS PART OF THE SETTLEMENT --

DEMARCO: It will be in the settlement agreement, yes. It’s being drafted.

DO YOU THINK THE CHURCH WILL TRY TO GET OUT OF RELEASING FILES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS?

DEMARCO: They're creative. They don’t like seeing the stuff come out, so they'll try to find a way, but we've got a process put in place and we've got judges who see the need for making this information known to the public.

THESE CASES MUST HAVE WREAKED HAVOC WITH YOUR HOME LIFE.

DEMARCO: This is something I put my heart and soul into. I think it -- I hope it showed. I think the clients appreciated it and saw it. You know, it wasn’t hard going to sleep at night knowing whether or not I was on the side of right or wrong.

But with that comes a great responsibility and that weighed real heavy for the last five years. So it’s nice to see this coming to a conclusion in some respects.

WERE YOU SHOCKED AT THE WAY THE CHURCH FOUGHT BACK?

No, I mean -- it -- I came to expect it. That they were going to try every trick in the book and create new books for new tricks. I mean they just -- they fight everything. You know, and early on I was shocked and then as time went on you just try to figure a way to get what you need, even with all the things that they're doing.

DO YOU THINK THEY EVER MADE A REALLY LEGITIMATE LEGAL ARGUMENT?

There were some legal arguments along the way that were closer than others but I think their overall strategy was to prevent as much of the information about the sordid history from coming out as they possibly could.

YOU KNOW I’M GOING TO USE THIS?

It’s a fair statement. That was one of their major aims, to keep this away from the public view.

AND HOW DID THEY DO THAT?

They do that by preventing you from getting the information, either in depositions or getting documents. Or by making you work exceptionally hard for every little shred of information you get.

I mean, there were very professional people on the other side too, so I don't mean to say across the board everyone on the other side tried to do things that were underhanded, I don't think that at all.

But as an over arching aim, Kay, they wanted to prevent the truth of depravity in the institution from coming into the public view. That was an over arching aim of their legal strategy.

They would be very creative about thinking up new arguments about privileges that didn't exist and take us years to get past because it takes a while to work things through the legal system, and that worked, that worked in their favor.

And at the very same time they were trying to go after as much personal information from each and every plaintiff and plaintiff family member as they possibly could. They were trying to drain people and, you know, to some people it probably happened. But I think people stayed pretty resolute through this.

THEY WERE TRYING TO DRAIN THE PLAINTIFFS?

And the plaintiffs’ lawyers. I mean there aren’t too many plaintiffs’ law firms out that there that could have afforded to go through five years’ worth of daily bruising litigation without seeing much come in in the interim. I mean that's a really tough thing to do, I mean the folks at the large firms, I mean, here at KBL, at Kathy’s office, they took huge-huge risks, huge risks. And they took that, you know, fully knowing what the risk was, I mean they -- it was an ever present danger these firms could be bankrupted because of taking this litigation on. I don't think people fully appreciate that, but day in and day out salaries are getting paid to fight and fight and fight.

I don't think people realize how much of a David and Goliath it really was. You have one of the largest most powerful richest institutions in the world, that we spent five years trying to go after.

We dug deeper, and when the documents start coming out from what we were able to find, people will appreciate it more.

And I think we dug deeper in this litigation than anyone ever has in any litigation against the church. We deposed more people, we got more documents.

IS THAT BECAUSE OF CALIFORNIA’S DISCOVERY LAWS?

I think a large measure of it was because of the tenacity of the people going after it. But yeah that we have decent discovery laws in this state and the statute of limitations being passed allowing people to file was a huge part of it. But --

It took a lot of work.

I mean the other side, even with discovery law the way it is, they weren’t going to willingly give stuff up. We had to go fight and fight, file motion after, go through battle after battle. And oftentimes you couldn't even go that way. We had to go and find witnesses themselves, track them down independently, get witness statements. It was a lot of work, a lot of money.

And we're still doing it with the Salesians. I mean we've got a November 5th trial there and if it goes, I’m very much looking forward to it.

YOU THINK THIS CASE WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO A JURY?

DEMARCO: It might. It really might. I think it stands as good a chance as any case at all ever did. Because of the position these guys are taking. Now it could change, you know how these worked but they are the most recalcitrant. The Salesians have been the most recalcitrant religious order in California.

In Northern California -- Joey Piscitelli’s case and then there was another one that John Manly tried back just before that, the last two, Salesians hung for a trial. They just wanted to try the last of their cases. They ended up having to pay in both those cases.

(UPDATE: The Salesians haven’t paid Joey yet. A jury awarded Piscitelli $300,000 July 2006, the Salesians appealed, then filed for a year’s extension last July. See interview with Joey Piscitelli here at city of angels blog soon.)

WHAT OTHER TRIALS ARE DEFINITELY SET IN NEXT WEEKS?

At the moment probably the only really definite trial is the November 5th trial. There’s another one set for trial in January involving the Salesians again and Father Dominguez. And that's one of Kathy Freberg’s cases. January. There’s also still a trial date on calendar for the Claretians cases, involving Father Lovell. Kathy’s office can give you more details on that one.

DID YOU EVER GET TO DEPO MONSIGNOR LIRETTE?

Did we do a follow-up after our motion, no. I’m understanding he passed away.

THANK YOU

WATCH HERE FOR MORE INTERVIEWS WITH KEY PERSONS

More to Come. . .

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TRANSCRIPT: July 16th Hearing in Superior Court Settling 508 Civil Cases Against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles

2007-09-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

“There’s been a constant stream of motions presented to this court in areas that are out on the fringes of established law.” -- Judge Haley Fromholz

Call me Scoop. Just now went back and read my July 16th notes and decided to copy and paste them here for others to read. It’s pretty much a transcript of what was said at the settlement hearing in LA Superior Court which ended 508 plaintiffs’ cases against the Archdiocese. (Note: I’m not a court reporter, just incredibly fast.)

JUDGE HALEY FROMHOLZ: This was the date set for the trial re Hagenbach allegations. It was impossible over the weekend not to understand there’d be a settlement in these cases. This morning I need to establish it is a settlement, it covers the cases and it’s the desire of the attorneys, so that the trial dates can be vacated.

Judge asks Boucher to state it is a settlement and Hennigan does as well.

PLAINTIFF ATTY. RAY BOUCHER: I was ready to give an opening statement this morning. We represent 245 victims and I’d like the court to at least acknowledge the Hagenbach victims who are here today who were ready to start trial -- ask them to stand.

(Row of men stand up.)

BOUCHER: On behalf of the 508 who make up Clergy One plaintiffs we have reached a settlement of principle that resolves all cases against the Los Angeles archdiocese and related entities --

Memo of understanding signed by all sides

(NOTE: Was it signed or is it yet to be signed?)

"660 million dollars"

BOUCHER: In addition a number of cases remain before the court concerning a number of religious orders who haven’t gone along with the settlement

BOUCHER: But this releases the Los Angeles archdiocese.

BOUCHER: Release of personnel records and confidential files and those subpoenaed by third parties (is part of the settlement).

DEFENSE/CHURCH ATTORNEY J. MICHAEL HENNIGAN : First I want to the victims it is our deep regret that this took so long.

VICTIM CALLS OUT: Not accepted

JUDGE: This is a hearing. It’s not okay to testify

HENNIGAN: It’s been the most complex undertaking I’ve ever done in my career. This last week seemed to be endless we worked so hard. I’m indebted to the court for helping us reach this conclusion

HENNIGAN: We all hoped this would occur but feared it might not so thank you. We have reached a protocol re those that may be controversial in the way we resoloved those

(What is he saying?!?!?!)

JUDGE: With a written notice of settlement filed by plaintiffs counsel

(??? Haven’t been able to find a copy of this yet. . . )

JUDGE: Then the court vacates trial date. At this time parties have a time to show cause why it should not be dismissed.

. . . .

JUDGE: This came so close on the heels there is no written settlement so I’m asking that plaintiffs’ counsel when I read their names stand and tell me if indeed it’s the fact -- there is a settlement agreement it’s settled and you wish the trial date to be vacated.

Eight cases to read by name.

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY VENUS SOLTAN says she wants the payment to be in 60 days

She represents 50 people and has not seen the memo of understanding

BOUCHER says the soonest practical and possible is December 1

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY JOHN MANLY: I think we have an agreement is what we're trying to say to put on record. We haven’t seen the memorandum. We can agree to vacate the trial date

MANLY: I’ll look at the agreement and if there’s anything I don't want in there I’ll let the court know.

JUDGE: This is D Day we're either vacating trial date or going to trial.

JUDGE: We need to set a date for dismissal of Hagenbach normally 45 days

BOUCHER: Can we set a court hearing? The document hasn’t been -- San Diego’s bankruptcy is still a consideration. I’ll consult with Mr. Hennigan re a date…

JUDGE: I’d like to get written notice from liaison counsel that renders an account of all the names -- All defendants and any remaining defendants case by case.

JUDGE: When can I expect something like that?

BOUCHER: Two weeks?

JUDGE: Okay July 30th 8:30 AM

(It hasn’t been turned in yet as of September 20, 2007¬.)

BOUCHER: Miani is an order priest so that case will go forward with a trial date in September.

(Now set for trial November 5.)

JUDGE: The Court will set a trial setting conference for the remaining cases. Probably early in August cases with remaining defendants -- those cases still in discovery will meet to establish that they are released.

. . . .

FROMHOLZ: Vetter case re Passionists also has to . . .

(Sorry didn't get that)

JUDGE: These cases have been pending and actively litigated for at least 3 years. They're immensely complicated. Each has its own set of facts and painful history, the facts are extremely complicated. Discovery has been arduous, legal issues have been complicated.

JUDGE: There’s been a constant stream of motions presented to this court in areas that are out on the fringes of established law.

J: We became aware there are evidentiary issues that are myriad and complex and probably would have provided a bases for anyone who wished to do so to appeal.

J: So for those reasons and to avoid pain and anguish on the part of everyone this is the right thing to do. Settling is the right thing to do. Unlike what it says in the newspaper I don't decide whether to approve or disapprove a settlement.

J: Let me commend liaison counsel -- they did what lawyers are supposed to do which sometimes can appear to be contradictory but they advocated their clients’ cause with zeal.

At the same time in recent days as they sought to settle the cases, they did everything they could to make these cases run efficiently

(ME: NO THEY DIDN'T THE CHURCH ATTORNEYS PUT UP OBSTRUCTIONS AT EVERY TURN!!!

IT’S THE MAD HATTER IN COURT AGAIN: NOTHING IS TRUE OR REALLY REAL JUST SAY THE RIGHT THING AND MOVE ON)

BOUCHER: Five years ago last week Gray Davis signed into law this opportunity for people to have justice.

(ALL THE PLAINTIFFS STAND UP, A WOMAN BREAKS OUT IN TEARS)

BOUCHER ASKS FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE ON BEHALF OF VICTIMS WHO DIED BEFORE GETTING TO THIS POINT

. . . .

BOUCHER: We wouldn't be here today without Peter Lichtman who years ago took on this case. He is a tremendous bright light for this court system and the victims wouldn't be here without his efforts. Jeff McCoy when we first went to him said Why me? This changed his life.

BOUCHER: [TEARFUL] His kindness his gentleness his wisdom. . .I don't know how to tell the court how many times in the last weeks this settlement was dead.

B: With yarn and string and glue he kept it together [TEARFUL]

B: I’m usually very critical of insurance companies but I do want to acknowledge that ???

B: Most of the victims will not forgive the cardinal but I’ve seen him as he’s met with many clients and began to try to start the healing process. He took steps that I think he could only take and went to Rome several times in the last weeks to get ready to settle these cases. It was his decision to tell the church and lawyers to follow his guidance and his lead and as a result of that we were able to settle these case.

B: I hope that given his contact with clients he’ll become a leader in the world to prevent child abuse.

B: I acknowledge Tony DeMarco everyone owes him gratitude, everyone, the lawyers, the clients. My fellow lawyers (almost totally in tears) I think you --

HENNIGAN: I don't think Mr. Boucher meant to say our meeting persuaded me to settle these cases. We were trying to settle these cases since before the law was passed more than five years ago. It’s been a pleasure at times, frustrating at times, but I’ve always seen the talent of Ray Boucher

(Boucher is going around the room hugging and kissing people)

H: I will say I thank Mr. Boucher for his kind words about the cardinal. He visited extensively with over 70 victims and it changed us all, changed our perspective on what happened here.

H: I’d like to say that reform in the church was going to happen anyway and I can’t say that. These cases have forever reformed the archdiocese of Los Angeles and it will never be the same.

H: Thursday night we got one piece done and Friday night the rest of it done. Thanks to the lines of communication we'll still be working together through the document issues and the rest of the things…..

JUDGE: I think that competes our business here this morning.

(ME: OH MY GOD Mahony has been sitting there in a suit all this time. And some serious bling around the neck!!!)

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Friday Roundup: Where is the outrage? Plus, note to those who say childhood sex crime victims should just get over it.

2007-09-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
Yes it’s those Salesians, the Catholic order whose sole purpose since the 1800s has been to reach out and uplift young boys from poverty and disadvantaged homes.

It was the Salesians’ attorney who called low income boys from LA Salesian schools “10 year old now 60 year old juvenile delinquents” as he tried to get civil lawsuits dismissed in LA Superior Court Wednesday, lawsuits filed by sex crime victims from Salesian run schools that were not part of the July 16th settlement but are on calendar for a jury trial November 5 in LA Superior Court.

This is from the firm profile of Foley & Lardner LLP, whose partner Stephen A. McFeely represents the Salesians.

"For more than 160 years, Foley & Lardner LLP has delivered legal services. Foley is dedicated to understanding industry issues, government policies, and client goals." Today they represent a religious order many of whose priests it turns out are pedophiles.

McFeely himself “focuses on commercial disputes in such areas as contracts, trade secrets, unfair competition and corporate control.” Today he defends the Salesians, who for more than 160 years have taken in vulnerable little boys to be raised, groomed and nurtured, by in many cases pedophile priests. And monsignors and bishops.

Apparently he’s going to do it by convincing a jury that the 10 year old now 60 year old juvenile delinquents are a pack of liars. November 5 jury trial date, we’ll see. . .

Where Is The Outrage

By Anonymous and Making Its Way Round the Internet:

In three months it will be six years since the clergy sex scandal appeared in the Boston Globe featuring the perp John Geoghan.

Last May it has been 15 years since James Porter.

This year it has been 23 years since Gilbert Gauthe.

This year we found out that sexual abuse by Catholic priests has been going on for two centuries, documented in the book “Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes.”

So where is the outrage?

The bishops who transferred perps all around the world are still in place -- if they hvaen’t died.

Cardinal Law was rewarded by living a luxurious life at the Vatican.

Where is the Justice? --

No justice. The incredible fact that there are still sheep trouping into those churches, to me, is mind boggling. Are people that weak and mindless?

PERSONAL NOTE
That happened when you were five years old.
Why don't you just get over it?
People say to childhood sex crime victims, why don’t you get on with your lives. Truth is it follows you wherever you go and flies back in your face at the most unlikely times.

Take me entering the Superior Court building Wednesday morning. As usual before going through the security screener, I put everything that might set off the alarm on the tray, even my shoes with the metal trim. Walked through the metal detector in my stockings but still the buzzer went off.

The guy approached with the baton they run up and down alongside your body and I started shaking.
Soon not just shaking but literally whirling around outside my body watching myself shake.
It’s a state of disassociation I’ve been in so many times in my life I'm used to it, but it’s still mystifying.

The guard wanted to wave the wand up and down my body as they do, but I was twirling and trying to get away from him, moving so fast I didn't even know what I was doing until I’d done it. I ran back to the conveyor to get my bags and get away from him. I pointed to the safety pin on my blouse, as that must have been what was setting off the alarm.

“It’s the pin,” I assured him and tried to get away as fast as I could.

The guard yelled at me and two more joined him. I still couldn't hold still, because that disassociation thing was happening. As long as that Baton was coming near me I was spinning around uncontrollably watching myself shake.

Finally I held still long enough for the guard to run the baton by me, but I was still almost shouting, it’s just the safety pin, it’s the pin,

Panic, shaking, twirling. If I were to try to shoot the scene it would be distorted like heat waves on concrete.

I was halfway up the second escalator before I calmed down enough to realize that's not the first time this has happened. In fact this panic at the metal detector guy’s wand is why I’m so fanatical about getting everything metal off me in the first place before I enter the building.

Because I don't want that man coming towards me with that baton and running it up and down my body. Whatever it reminds me of I panic and disassociate just at the sight of that security guard coming towards me with a baton to check for metal on my body.

So no to those naysayers and poo-poo specialists who say why don’t you just get over it. It's been almost 55 years now. Obviously rape at age five by a priest affected me for the rest of my life.

It is not something you get over and just put behind you. So get on with my life I will.

Next week:
Hearing Wednesday September 26th
Motion to Compel Answers and Motion to compel deposition

of

Father Reina,
Michael J. Alvarez
Father William Schafer
Father Nicholas Reina,
& to compel the deposition of
Michael J. Alvarez &
Thomas Prenderville.
RE: BC308301 & BC308555.

City of Angels Lady will be there

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More to Come. . .

Salesian Cases head for trial in LA November 5th and Church reveals Salesians’ concern for underprivileged boys in 2007

2007-09-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

From Catholic Encyclopedia: “In the first half of the nineteenth century Italy had not recovered from the French Revolution. Education, morality, and religion were then at their lowest ebb. To save the rising generation the Salesian Society was founded. In 1844 Don Bosco began to gather together poor and neglected boys. In 1845 the first night-school was opened at Valdocco. . .” and the Salesian tradition of bringing young boys up from poverty began.

A church attorney demonstrated that concern for poor young boys by Salesians in the 21st century this morning in court: “If these 10 year old now 60 year old juvenile delinquents are to be believed, he says he saw Miani abusing a child. Then he says he saw the Archbishop. This goes past the credibility issue to the crux of the problem. Most of those men are long dead.”

JUDGE: I’m curious as to why you rely on Mr. (Plaintiff) for that information?”

CHURCH ATTORNEY MCPHEELY: “I’m not relying on Mr. P for much.”

That last line delivered with all the contempt you’d expect from an old retired Irish cop in a t-shirt hollering at his TV set. I have to admit I like this church attorney for the Salesians McPheely (McFeely?) as he doesn't even try to act smooth and cool, like Hennigan’s minions. No custom tailoring here, strictly Hollywood Suit Outlet and “I’m going to be as much of an asshole as I want to be” attitude.

This case is set for trial November 5. Outside court Plaintiff Attorney Tony DeMarco said, “I don't think they're going to settle this one.”

Salesian perpetrator priest Titian Miani is still alive as are other eye witnesses. All it takes is one hierarchy witness to get on the stand and the whole stream of crimes could come pouring out. Will Miani take the stand? Here is what happened in court today. (Copy and pasted here are notes I took at the hearing this morning re the Salesians cases¬. Now I’ve got to get back to work.)

JUDGE FROMHOLZ: This is motion for summary judgment filed by the Salesians. Tentative is to grant re two plaintiffs and deny re all others. Do the attorneys have anything to add?

CHURCH ATTORNEY MCPHEELY: I have several items. . . .it’s about the facts of this case. The court has denied the motion but has not addressed what may or may not have happened in Italy 60 years ago.

JUDGE: We're now talking about the camping trip in 1947. The tentative says there’s not adequate evidence of notice.

MCPHEELY: Well not only what happened 60 years ago in Italy, I do want to spend the court’s time talking about what happened 50 years ago or didn't happen. It’s not enough to say if can put on evidence you're not denied due process. I believe you can be denied due process if over the passage of time you have lost evidence and you are unable to put on evidence.

McPHEELY: If these 10 year old now 60 year old juvenile delinquents are even to be believed. Mr P says he saw Miani abusing a child. He saw the Archbishop dressed up in his finest. This goes past the credibility issue and to the crux of the problem. Both of those men are long dead.

JUDGE: I’m curious as to why you rely on Mr. P for that information?”

McPHEELY: (CONTEMPTUOUSLY) I’m not relying on Mr. P for much. How can we ask Father DeM what did you do, what was the investigation and what was the archbishop doing here. Mr. P is telling one half of the story.

McPHEELY: If this case is allowed to go to trial, the plaintiffs will put on their story and the jury will have to make up the other half of the story 'cause we're not going to have it.

JUDGE: Mr. DeMarco?

DEMARCO: Father Miani is still alive as are numerous other employees. It’s not only one side of the story about Father Miani. Numerous other priests have not made any statement as to how many kids still exist. To figure out what the full story is -- we do have to put more forward than full speculation. They have to say there are no other witnesses. They have to do the research.

MCPHEELY: It’s not true we've failed to produce Father M. Counsel’s office dropped it three or four weeks ago. If they think he’s such an important witness they should have deposed him 3 or 4 weeks ago.

(Yes, we all know how cooperative the Salesians are when Plaintiffs try to conduct depositions. This has to be done in front of a jury.)

MCPHEELY: And another thing. The court has combined four plaintiffs who claim they were abused in the 1950s combined without notice to us.

McPHEELY: What happened is in his mediation statement Mr. H continued to add to the number of people who abused him. He added two guys in his mediation statement and interrogatories and in deposition named a fourth one yet unnamed.

We say as to anybody but Miani this case relative to Mr. H cannot go forward. There is nothing different from what happened here -- there was no amendment of the complaint to add [SOUNDS LIKE] diMaria or Lorezono as abusers and a fourth unnamed individuals.

JUDGE: They're not parties to the lawsuit.

MCPHEELY: That's not at all what I’m saying. Miani is not a defendant here and neither are the other alleged perpetrators. The issue is the complaint sought damages due to those three people.

He cannot put forth evidence of negligence on the part of B C and D. The only complainant on whom we can move forward in Miani.

JUDGE: Mr. DeMarco?

DEMARCO: We presented these facts to the defendants years ago. They've known the facts regarding the other priests for several years. They could have filed a demurrer. You can’t make it a cause of action now.

We have alleged negligence as to the Salesians and to St. Don Bosco High. Mr. H was a student there while several Salesians molested him. Our damages are for the several years of sexual abuse he endured there. This makes the case more egregious. It doesn't make it dismissible.

MCPHEELY: How on earth could we have demurred? The complaint only says abuse by Miani. Another issue I want to bring forward is maybe we haven’t made ourselves clear to the court. This has to do with the role of the high school. We've said there’s no evidence whatsoever of any negligence.

They say well yes there is, there’s this guy Clinton who testified and he testified a lot of stuff. But he testified he gave notice to Father [SOUNDS LIKE] Counsel well, your honor, we're talking about 340.1 unlawful sexual abuse.

The record is that he told Fr. Counsel about some quote funny stuff unquote. That is not a lawful sexual conduct and more to the point, Clinton admitted that he had no recollection whether he told a Father Counsel about the priest in other words named the name.

There is no evidence as to the high school as to notice, so summary judgment should be granted.

DEMARCO: Re Mr. F, he says he was present when the abuse took place. He’s an eye witness to the abuse. He said he told the brother and wasn’t believed.

There’s notice to the Salesian society. They run St. Don Bosco High. They're one and the same. You've got the same people running both institutions. How could they say the same people running both schools, somehow they're divided in half? I just don’t see it.

McFeely: We're talking about the high school, we're talking about Brother McG and mr. H. there was no Brother named Richard at that high school at this time, again something Mr. G told us about.

DeMarco: He said he believes the name was Richard. We're talking about memories and names. There was a statement and there are two specific exhibits we attached

The Father M deposition exhibit 18. Plus relevant sections of Catholic directories that clearly lay out that they operated the schools and that Father ? was director there.

MCPHEELY: Pay attention. If there were a Richard there and there wasn’t he was a low level novice training to be a priest. Notice to him is not notice to anybody. They're claiming “some person I can’t identify saw something.”

(This guy seems to respect novice priests about as much as he respects the poverty stricken boys who the Salesians supposedly serve.)

DEMARCO: Your Honor, that's certainly a point they can raise to the jury.

Maybe they will on November 5th? Stay tuned.

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More to Come. . .

Salesians fight hard and heavy, with onslaught of motions, re summary judgment in Titian Miani cases, hearing Wednesday morning

2007-09-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
Hearings continue in the Clergy Cases in Los Angeles as Catholic orders such as the Claretians, Oblates, Bendectines, Salesians, and Piarists try to get their share of liability for 50 years of pedophile priests in Southern California dismissed in court.

Wednesday September 19th lawyers will argue a motion for summary judgment of the Salesians’ share of responsibility for 50 years of sex crimes carried out in the Southern California Catholic Church, at a hearing in Dept 20 of Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Fromholz still presiding.

Salesian priest Titian Miani preyed on children in Los Angeles from 1957 until he was arrested in 2003. “The Salesians are the third largest Religious Order in the world and the most aggressive defense we've seen,” a plaintiff attorney told me.

Remember the deposition where church attorneys rep blocked the door to keep plaintiffs from questioning an aging priest? That was regarding Titian Miani. Salesians have worked doubly hard to block depositions and prevent discovery of documents in the Clergy Cases Los Angeles 2007.

Couldn’t get any of the documents to open in Room 106 Tuesday morning but just from reading the titles of documents you can follow the fight the Salesians’ Order has fought since June 18 when it filed the motion for summary judgment being argued Wednesday morning.

DOCUMENTS FILED ON ONE MIANI (SALESIANS) CASE SINCE JUNE 18 2007

June 18 2007

By Defendant
Declaraion of Father Maurizio Girolami in support of Defendants the Salesian Society and St. John Bosco High school’s motion for summary judgment of in the alternative summary adjudication.
8 pages

By defendant
Proof of service of Defendant Doe 1’s motion for Summary judgment
1 page

By Defendant
Declaration of Jeffrey S. Koenig in support of motion for summary judgment
1 page
(this means even if you could open it, it would only be the title page, a trick the church uses to keep its public documents private.)

By Defendant
Declaration of Rev. David T. Purdy in support of Salesian Society and St. John Bosco motion for summary judgment
4 pages

By Defendant
The Salesia Society and St. John Bosco High school memorandum of pointsi and authorities in support of motion for summary judgment
1 page

By Defendant
Separate Statement of Undisputed amterial Facts in support of motion for summary judgment
1 page

By Defendant
Declaration of Leila Nourani in support of Defendants’ motion for summary judgment
(Leila Nourani also files a similar statement in support of summary judgment for BC308555)
356 pages

By Defendant
Declaration of Monsignor Gabriel Gonzales in support of Defendant Doe 1’s motion for summary judgment
Also for BC308555
1 page (right, 1 page)

By Defendant
Statement of Undisputed Facts in support of Defendant Doe 1’s mooj for summary judgment of BC308555 and BC308301
1 page

By Plaintiff
Volume 1 of 4 exhibits filed under seasl
Motion for leave to allege punitive damages
Filed on the same date as defendants’ motion for summary judgment in these cases.
2 more documents representing a long list of plaintiffs filing exhibit under seal

By Defendant
Proof of service of Motion for Summary judgment and supporting documents

By Defendant
Declaration of Reverend Ralph Murphy SDB, in support of defendants the Salesian Society and st. John Bosco High school

By Defendant
Declaration of Father Maurizio Girolami in support of motion for summary judgment by Salesians
8 pages

By defendant
Declaration of Michael J. Alvarez in support of Defendants’ the salesians motion for summary judgment
3 ‘ages

By defendant
The Salesian Society Notice of Motion for summary judgment
5 pages

By defendant
Declaration of Rev. Ralph Murphy, SDB in support of summary judgment motion
2 pages

By Plaintiffs
Notice of filing exhitis under seal
2 pages

AND THAT'S JUST FOR JUNE 18TH

June 19

By Defendant
Defendant Salesian Socity’s motion to quash the amended deposition notice of Lester Howse
3 pages

June 25

Plaintiffs
Four more motions
Two for leave to allege punitive damages
Two to continue hearing re motion for punitive damages
4 pages each

The hearing will be Wednesday September 19

July 2

By defendant
Proof of service of defendant Salesian Society’s application to enlaarge page limit for defendants’ memorandum of points & authorities
3 pages
Plus two more motions in support of extending the page limit

July 9

By defendant
Declaration of Paul M. Balestracci in response to motion for an order to compel complaianc with non-party deposition and records subpoena
(I really want to see this, will come back and dive later this week and hopefully the documents will open again by then)
10 pages

July 11

By Plaintiff
Reply to defendant’s opposition to plaintiffs motion for leave to allege punitive damages
39 pages

July 11

By Plaintiff
Responses to defendants’ Evidentiary Objections re Motion for leave to allege punitive damages
5 pages

July 12

Either plaintiff or defendant, unable to tell, but probably plaintiff
Notice of taking Deposition of Barbara Buchanan
7 pages
plus
Commission to take out of state deposition of Barbara Buchanan
2 pages

July 24

By defendant
Titian Miani’s Privilege Log
68 pages
Will definitely come back to look at this

July 25

By Plaintiffs
Motion for an order to compel complaiance with non party deposition and records of subpoena
1 page

July 27

By defendant
Supplemental Opposition to plaintiffs ex parte application re motion for summary judgment hearing
6 pages

July 30, 2007

By Judge
Certificate of Referee
1 page

August 1

By judge
Stipulation and order appointing referee pursuant to CCP Section 638
5 pages

August 9

By Plaintiffs
Ex parte application for an order shortening time to bring motion to compel answers and production of documents
369 pages

August 13

By Plaintiffs
Ex parte application for an order shortening time to bring motion to compel answers and production of documents
177 pages

Several motions from both sides re continuing hearings and trial dates.

August 15

By defendant
Opposition to Plaintiffs motion to compel answers and production of documents
12 pages

By defendant
Declaration of Courtney Henning in support of defendants opposition to motion to compel answers
58 pages

August 17

By plaintiffs
Notice of Deposition of Dr. Vard Miller with Production of documents required
8 pages

Hearing tomorrow Wednesday September 19th re motion for summary judgment declaring the Salesians free of guilt and liability.

*****$$$???!!!
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On Tuesday attorneys for both sides appeared before the judge for a motion to continue a trial date re another Order brought attorneys for both sides in front of the judge. The new trial date is now November 12. City of Angels Lady is perplexed as to why a motion to continue a trial date requires attorneys for both defendants and plaintiffs to appear in front of the judge. To set a new trial date? We will dig for an answer to that question and many others in the days ahead.

More to come. . .

Opinion piece the LA Times should have run, as they cover church’s “loss” of Sisters of Bethany convent more than priest sex crimes that caused loss:

2007-09-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
Has the Times covered sex crimes in the Catholic Church in the last three years? Which is more important, sex crimes of priests over a 50-year period or the closing of a Santa Barbara convent? Which story deserve ongoing coverage?
Think we get balanced coverage in the Times? Here is an editorial by veteran plaintiff attorney Timothy Hale that LA Times editors chose not to run. This one opinion piece delivers more facts than you've read in the last three years in the Times about sex crimes in the Catholic Church. Tim Hale’s op-ed piece that should have been in the LA Times is published below, followed by the original Times editorial, plus the type of articles they're choosing to run on the subject instead:

Regarding your September 11 Opinion "The Costs of Church Scandal," there's a bit more to the story regarding the sale of the Sisters of Bethany convent in Santa Barbara.

The convent at issue is next door to Our Lady of Guadalupe parish.

Our Lady was home to Father Matthew Kelly from approximately 1943-52, and from 1956-1971. Father Kelly was one of the most prolific abusers of children in the history of the clergy abuse scandal in Santa Barbara. This is no small feat given that St. Anthony's Seminary and the Old Mission Santa Barbara have been the residences of at least 23 priest-perpetrators since 1960. However, with 10 confirmed victims, and undoubtedly many more who will never come forward, Father Kelly is exceeded in Santa Barbara only by the Franciscans' Father Robert Van Handel (17 confirmed victims) and Father Mario Cimmarrusti (22 confirmed victims).

My law firm, along with attorney R. Thomas Griffith, represented 6 of the 7 victims of Father Kelly who are part of the recent global settlement with the Archdiocese. During the litigation of the Father Kelly cases the Archbishop's attorneys deposed the 86 year-old mother of one of my clients. Kelly sexually abused her son from 1958 to 1960. She testified during her deposition that in the late 1950s she told two Sisters of Bethany who lived in the convent that Father Kelly would call and ask for her son, and that Father Kelly was taking boys to his cabin (the location where Kelly abused many of his victims). She also told them she was concerned about Father Kelly taking her son to the cabin, that she was worried about Kelly's level of interest in her son, and that she did not understand why Kelly was so focused on her son. She also testified they told her not to worry because Kelly was a priest. Finally, she testified that after her son admitted to her that Kelly had abused him, she stopped attending mass at Our Lady, prompting the sisters to tell her she should forgive Father Kelly.

One of these two Sisters of Bethany is still alive. I took her deposition shortly after the deposition of my client's mother. That Sister acknowledged knowing my client's mother, but denied ever discussing Father Kelly with her. In fact, I asked the Sister about every fact to which my client's mother testified above. The Sister denied outright each and every allegation testified to by my client's mother.

It is also worth noting that based on the assignment history provided in your article for Sister Angela Escalera, she began her assignment in the convent in 1964, before or during Father Kelly's abuse of 4 of our 6 clients. Needless to say Sister Angela would have been a critical witness in these lawsuits, and we would have deposed her immediately had we known of her assignment history. However, the Sister of Bethany I did depose denied any knowledge of the existence of any still living Sister of Bethany who was assigned to the convent before 1973.

Had these matters gone to trial, the testimony of the deposed Sister and of my client's mother likely would have been the subject of a she-said/she-said discussion by the jury. Having questioned and observed both women testify, I strongly believe my client's 86 year-old mother would have been the far more credible witness. Your readers might be interested to know this when considering whether the Sisters should be considered part of the "collateral damage" you reference as a result of the civil lawsuits.

Timothy C. Hale, Esq.
Nye, Peabody, Stirling & Hale, LLP ,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Here is the original September 11th LA Times editorial:

Opinion : Editorials

The Catholic Church's divestiture to pay for abuse settlements means good works will go undone.
September 11, 2007

Obviously, the principal victims of abuse by the Catholic clergy are the members of the faithful, many of them children, who were betrayed by wolves in shepherds' clothing. But the civil lawsuits that have provided those victims with a measure of compensation also create collateral damage, even when steps are taken to protect core church activities.

Insurance policies provide the church with only some of the resources it needs to settle these claims. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, which on Friday agreed to pay nearly $200 million to victims of sexually abusive priests and church workers, said it will defray much of the rest of the costs through loans and the sale of assets. A diocesan official said there were no plans to close parishes or schools, but Bishop Robert Brom conceded that there will be "some damaging consequences for the mission of the church in this diocese."

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which has agreed to pay $764 million to victims of abuse, has engaged in similar damage control, saying it will sell off non-parish property, including its administrative headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard. But an affecting article last week by Times staff writer Rebecca Trounson demonstrated that sales of "assets" can have human consequences.

As part of its divestiture to pay for abuse settlements, the archdiocese is selling a property in Santa Barbara that has served as a convent for the Sisters of Bethany since it was built in 1952. The decision means the displacement of three nuns who have been living rent-free in the house while ministering to local immigrants. One of the nuns, Sister Angela Escalera, has lived at the convent for 43 years.

The nuns in Santa Barbara and the people they serve won't be the only human beings affected by these financial constraints. The ripple effect inevitably includes those who would have benefited from different uses of the church's holdings -- or from the generosity of parishioners who have withheld contributions (or stopped coming to church) because of the scandal.

The impoverishment of the church compounds the tragedy defined by damaged lives, disillusioned believers and blameless priests who now must minister under a cloud of suspicion created by their faithless colleagues. But the blame for this state of affairs belongs not to the victims or their lawyers but to an ecclesiastical culture that embraced the false gospel of "least said, soonest mended."

Meanwhile what's being reported from Santa Barbara in the LA Times today?

(from bishopaccountability.org)

Save the Eastside's Sisters of Bethany
Campaign Launched to Save Nuns' Home; Plus, Meeting Harry Potter, Finding Al Steinman, and Defending Wendy

By Barney Brantingham
Santa Barbara Independent
September 11, 2007

http://www.independent.com/news/2007/sep/11/save-eastsides-sisters-bethany/

Nuns' S.O.S.: A small group of Santa Barbarans are planning to huddle this week and ponder how to save the Sisters of Bethany from being evicted from their Eastside convent.

The Los Angeles Archdiocese has the small convent on its list to be sold to help cover costs of settling sexual abuse suits against priests. The three nuns just learned that they've been ordered to vacate the small building next to Our Lady of Guadalupe by December 31.

Just where they will go remains unclear. But a group that includes businessman Anthony Dal Bello plans to meet Wednesday to discuss an attempt to either buy the property or rent other space.

Sister Angela of the Sisters of Bethany.
Photo by Sue De Lapa

I broke the story Thursday in The Independent and the L.A. Times featured the story on the front page of their California section on Friday. Sister Angela, 69, who suffers from diabetes and needs a walker to get around, has also been interviewed on L.A. radio and, when I visited Monday, was being interviewed by Spanish language TV.

The plight of the Sisters of Bethany, a small order with three convents in Southern California and others in Latin America, has won the sympathy of the non-Catholic public as well. The Santa Barbara Sisters of Bethany have lived among the Eastside poor for more than a half-century and worked with the needy. "The support from all over has been overwhelming," Sister Superior Angela told me Monday. Eviction to pay for the sins of the priests is "wrong, it's immoral, and it's unholy," said a prominent Santa Barbaran who asked that his name not be used. He's dubbed the impromptu committee: "SOS," Save Our Sisters.

(Coincidentally, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the same church where Father Matthew Kelly was a priest. Kelly, as was reported as The Independent's cover story last week, allegedly molested many boys while simultaneously being a hero of the Eastside. See Nick Welsh's story on Kelley here.)

Rosemary Escalera Gutierrez, real-life sister of Sister Angela, has fired off blistering e-mails. One email explained: Archdiocese spokesperson Tod Tamberg says that he too is paying the price for the pedophile priest scandal, that the Catholic faithful have to share in the price for the sins of the few. His price was not getting a raise. Gee, how does that compare to losing your house and job? Tamberg also says that the Bethany order is sure to "step in" and help the transition. That is simply sugar coating. The fact is that the archdiocese is doing nothing for the sisters. As far as they are concerned, the evicted nuns are on their own. If the church engaged in relocating the accused pedophile priests, some of whom used the transfer to continue their evil acts on new victims, why can't it relocate these nuns to continue their good work? Finally, as a spokesperson, will Tamberg explain why the eviction letter is dated June 28, but not delivered until August 28? As Sr. Angela says, the worst thing is the cold detachment from the hierarchy. If they give a damn about the Sisters it's a well kept secret, for they have heard not one word of compassion from the archdiocesan personnel nor from the local "prince of the church," Bishop Curry of Santa Barbara.

"Thanks for writing the article on the Sisters of Bethany," e-mailed Dal Bello to me. "I have had the honor of knowing the Sisters since they first came to Santa Barbara in1951.This committee will study the pros and cons of purchasing the convent where the Sisters presently reside or finding alternative housing in Santa Barbara. After all the work the Sisters have done for this community in the past 55 years it is time for the community to come to their assistance." If you'd like to help, you can reach Dal Bello at 565-3730.
-----
You tell me. Has the Times even begun to cover the story of sex crimes in the Catholic Church in the last three years? Considering how many people are affected by the two issues, sex crimes of priests and the closing of Sisters of Bethany convent, which story deserves ongoing coverage?

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Why did cases settle when the Catholic Church had no defense at all? Many questions as LA hearings begin again this week. Plus: What Would Mahony Say?

2007-09-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

(Hearings in LA Clergy Cases begin again tomorrow in Judge Fromholz’ Court, with two motions on calendar for Tuesday September 18th. The City of Angels will be there and continue reporting in this blog.)

In the LA clergy cases settled July 16th, the Archdiocese used more than 18 law firms to fight claims made by sex crime victims in its own churches, to fight families and family members in its own parishes. The settlement was $660 million and the LA Archdiocese may have spent another $660 million preventing justice from going forward.

Out of those 18 law firms not one cogent legal argument against a plaintiffs’ case ever came forward. Church Attorneys never denied that the rapes and satanic acts on children’s bodies took place. They just got cases dismissed for missed deadlines or because of plaintiffs' confusion as to which is the correct defendant church parish or other entity on which to serve a subpoena.

I’m still trying to understand why plaintiffs settled when the church really had no case at all? At the same time plaintiffs were ready to show a jury shocking evidence and put on testimony that would have blown the roof off cathedrals across the country. One Clinton Hagenbach case alone names 28 priests who were part of an inner circle of pedophiles in Southern California. Many of these inner circle pedophile pederast priests came from Our lady of the Angels Junior Seminary. Testimony would have showed how the church aided and abetted these criminals. With the cases settled how will we get that evidence now?

Over and over again Plaintiffs Requested a Discovery Referee
By July 16th there still was no Discovery Referee
The church was not cooperating at all.

A jury would have seen right through the church attorneys’ antics.

For example on March 27, 2007, Plaintiffs’ attorneys filed a Motion for a discovery referee because they were having so much trouble getting depositions and documents from the church.

As far as I can tell there still no discovery referee one by July 16th settlement

On May 16th was a hearing to compel Monsignor Lirette’s Testimony and again at that hearing Plaintiffs’ requested a discovery referee. Did plaintiffs ever get a deposition from Lirette?

In a jury trial the church’s frivolous motions and obstructive dance in front of the judge would have been obvious. The church had no case, no legal argument to defend itself in any of the plaintiff cases in LA so I’m still stymied as to why they settled before jury trials.

Why did all 520 cases in LA have to settle? And all 108 in San Diego? Why couldn't some 5 percent of the cases against the LA Archdiocese have continued to trial while the other 95 percent ended in pretrial settlements. Why did the settlement have to be global?

Freberg’s motion to compel deposition denied
Days Before SettlementsImportant Motion To Compel Documents of St. John’s Denied
Motion of plaintiffs to compel deposition of custodian of Records for St. John’s Seminary - DENIED
Right before the July 16th settlement.

The church won yet another round claiming plaintiffs’ request “recycles arguments made numerous times in prior motions.”

Doesn't this sounds like Alice in Wonderland came to life in the judge’s chambers again?
:

Defendant argues the court can’t order the seminary to produce files prior to an in camera review.

Plaintiff states that since Defendant asserts privacy objection Defendant knows documents have to first be sent for in camera review.

Defendant replies: Plaintiffs “offer no authority for the proposition that a defendant must offer documents for in camera review without being asked to do so.”

And the judge went along with it.

Plus Freberg Had to Pay
Katherine Freberg had to pay $1500 to Kneafsey Tostado & Associates to boot as the “Court finds this motion is unnecessary,” wrote Haley Fromholz.

And They Were Still Trying to Get A Discovery Referee

In that circa July 16th court order denying plaintiffs’ motion to compel deposition of the Custodian of Records for St. John’s Seminary, Frolholz stated in the closing paragraph:

“Defense counsel remarked that Liaison Counsel have been discussing the possibility of a stipulated procedure to govern submission of documents for in camera review by the Court

“or a discovery referee that would obviate repetitive motions.

“The court is amenable to this possibility.. . and asks the parties to proceed with dispatch.”

By July 16th they were still trying to get a deposition and discovery referee to show up. They’d gotten one assigned, but so far he hadn’t made it to any depositions.

More after this:

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Mahony Quotes:
Would he have been able to get away with this in front of a jury?
From Cardinal Roger Mahony’ November 2004 deposition about his years as Bishop of Stockton. A sampling
Page Number - Quote

20 Well, I'm not sure about whether I forgot it or remembered it, but I acted quickly on it. That's what I remember.
33 I don't remember exactly.
33 I honestly don't recall that.
34 I simply don't recall any.
35 I don't recall any.
38 I don't recall the curriculum exactly.
39 I don't recall the sequence, actually.
50 I honestly don't remember.
50 I simply don't recall.
65 I don't recall.
77 I don't recall exactly when I knew he was not going to return.
78 I don't recall, but most likely I did.
80 I don't remember specifically.
81 I actually don't remember.
81 I simply can't recall what kind of system I used.
82 I don't recall, but it was in the last year or two.
86 I actually don't recall exactly.
86 No, I don't recall.
89 I honestly don't remember, but very possibly he did.
96 I don't recall the first time I learned of that.
96 I actually don't recall that specifically.
102 I certainly don't recall.
102 I just don't recall.
104 I simply don't recall any case.
105 I don't remember when that was.
107 I simply don't recall any.
108 No, best of my knowledge, I don't recall that.
108 I don't recall any.
112 My testimony is I cannot recall something like that occurring during this time.
113 I can't recall any.
114 No, I'm not I can't recall of a case.
116 I can't recall exactly.
117 I can't recall any.
118 I simply don't remember when.
119 No, I don't recall doing that.
125 I don't remember exactly when.
125 I just can't recall.
129 I don't recall.
137 I actually don't recall.
137 Again, I don't recall whether it was or not.
137 I don't recall.
138 I don't recall exactly.
138 I don't recall the time period when that actually occurred. 138 I honestly don't recall.
166 No, I simply don't recall anything specific.
171 I can't recall during those four brief months. This is 1962. I simply can't recall. That wasn't my job.
172 I can't recall anything specific, because protecting children can mean many, many things.
172 I don't recall any instruction.
173 I can't recall any.
173 You asked if I recalled, and I said I don't recall.
174 I don't recall, no.
191 I don't recall reviewing records.
192 I don't recall reviewing files and documents prior to visiting.
195 I don't remember specifically, but I don't remember specifically, but I think he was.
202 I can't recall anyone specifically saying these are legal liabilities of the diocese.
217 I don't recall.
219 No, during my time as Bishop I don't recall ever going directly to the confidential files.
221 I have absolutely no recollection of that.
233 I can't recall any other reports as such.
243 I don't recall seeing it.
247 I don't recall seeing this letter before.
252 No, in fact, I don't recall when.
253 No complaints that I can recall.
253 I just don't recall.
253 I honestly don't remember.
254 I really don't recall that.
254 I have no recollection of the name at all.
256 I simply can't remember any.
260 I don't recall. I may have. I don't recall.
261 I really don't recall. I may have. I simply don't remember.

(From “Non-Random Access Memory”
Posted by: Diogenes - Jan. 02, 2005 12:43 PM ET USA)

-------------
From Today’s Massage
See Link at Bottom of Page

It’s not about religion it’s about relationship

Hate what's evil and cling to what's good

There’s still things we have to do but by freeing ourselves of the burden of being hurt we free ourselves from hurting God.

If you're holding onto stuff He’ll hold onto stuff.

Love of God must be sincere
No matter if you've been hurt let down abandoned denied, your love still must be sincere.

It’s a tough pill to swallow because the natural reaction is I want revenge. I won’t pray for my enemy, I won’t bless those who persecute me

So you do the math, count the costs. It’s just not worth it. You have way too much to lose. Just let it go. When you count the costs, figure it out, it’s too much to pay.

Remember Romans 12:19 Vengeance is Mine.

And City of Angels Lady starts attending hearings and document diving again this week.

More to Come. . .

Where do we go from here? Just keep telling the stories. A good place to start is “Sacrilege” by Leon Podles

2007-09-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
Around mid-July the tone of this blog changed as I began reading a new book “Sacrilege” by former federal investigator Leon Podles. A few chapters in and I began to see obvious patterns in pedophile priest rape crime across the country. The more I read the more I realized, in city after city for the last half century kids in Catholic churches were raped, perpetrators were enabled to continue raping, victims and victims’ families were shut up. And most astonishing, bishops and other hierarchy lied many times under oath, or conveniently forgot, and documents disappeared.

The way the pattern of crime is laid out in “Sacrilege” the logical next step from here should be federal indictments and Senate hearings to expose the true reasons these crimes were able to continue for more than 50 years in the United States.

“Sacrilege” came out September 1st (for more information see the left column of this blog). Reading the book you get blatant proof that these crimes are not just about “a little fondling.” In case after case priests whispered to children that the sex acts they were doing were a kind of religious rite of passage. In more than one case children's murders go unsolved.

Podles is on the board of Bishop Accountability and as such is probably the first author to really dive in and make use of the bisohopaccountability.com databank. The book is 676 pages and every few paragraphs you feel like you’ve watched a full length feature film. The volumes and volumes of stories all documented at bishop accountability will provide endless material for writers in the next few centuries and Podles’ book is almost an invitation to go document diving and find out more.

But as one of the crime victims myself, this book also makes me angry, really angry (and my anger management class recently got canceled!) as I see how also in city after city, these “men of the cloth” ran roughshod on the law and the law let them.

Getting Away with Murder as Well. . .
The autopsy found wads of chewing gum in the stomach
There was plenty of evidence that registered sex offender the Rev. Richard R. Lavigne murdered one of his victims Danny Croteau in Springfield, Mass, in 1972. “The police went to the rectory to examine Lavigne’s clothes but the priest at the rectory would not let them in and the police did not try to get a search warrant,” writes Podles. “The district attorney at the time, Matthew Ryan, a close friend of Bishop Weldon, decided not to prosecute Lavigne.”

The murder of Danny Croteau is still unsolved but since Lavigne was raping Croteau’s brothers and many other boys as well, we know part of his MO was to give boys liquor and then chewing gum to cover the smell on their breath. In the autopsy “Danny’s stomach was full of wads of chewing gum.”

In Davenport, Iowa, as Bishop Gerald Francis O’Keefe “continued to receive complaints about abuse by priests, he knew that a paper trail creates liability, so he kept few records. However the day after O'Keefe received a letter about Rev. James M. Jenssen’s masturbating boys at a card game, Jenssen became the new Director of Vocations for the diocese.

In the 1980s ex-priest Rudolph "Rudy" Kos lived openly in Dallas with his young unschooled Filipono priest friend and they regularly had little boys stay overnight in the rectory with them. Stories about Kos dated back to the 1970s and one letter written in 1992 describing little boys running around the rectory survived long enough to become evidence.

“Bishop Grahmann claimed never to have read the letter,” Podels writes in “Sacrilege.” “Monsignor Rehkemper later testified that he didn't remember reading Williams’ eyewitness account of Kos in bed under the covers with a boy.”

Why wasn’t any evidence produced?
From testimony under oath:

“‘That's the most important piece of evidence in the case,’ Turley said. ‘You were waiting for someone to see him (Kos) sleeping in the bed with someone and you just let it get by you?’

“Rehkemper did not think the matter of alleged child molestation important enough to read carefully a letter from an eyewitness.

“Or the monsignor lied under oath.”

Here in my copy of “Sacrilege” I wrote my first note in the margin.

I circled "Or the monsignor lied under oath"

And wrote “Why?” and then started writing "Why" in the margin on page after page where it showed bishops and monsignors lying under oath, lying to the investigators, hiding evidence.

Why was it so important to cover up the pedophile crimes?
What other crimes are they hiding?
----------
I CAN’T TAKE THIS!!

There are scrawlings throughout my copy of Sacrilege now. On Page 213 is “Numbers!” with this phrase circled:

“At least 42 of the 88 parishes of the Phoenix diocese had abusive priests in them.”

On that same page I scrawled, “Write this as a scene” and circled:

Rev. Charles T. Fatooh, vicar general of Monterey, after Trupia retired “gave Trupia work and rented him a condo in Maryland, where according to neighbors Truia’s young male friends visited him.

“Trupia drove a Mercedes C320 with a rosary dangling from the rearview mirror.”

In Arizona

“bishops and priests passed boys around as party favors.” (P. 211)

--------
In Baltimore:

“The City prosecutor failed to charge Blackwell.”

In Baltimore a 1993 police report includes a doctors’ report showing “the suspect has been touching and fondling the complainant over the past three years.

“the City Prosecutor failed to charge Blackwell.”

I Scrawled the words “A whole scene” on page 198 and circled this paragraph:

“The Rev. William Q. Simms, who came to St. Andrew-by-the-Bay with a boy in tow was into sadomasochistic sacrilege. Two boys filed suits in 1980 saying that when they were 13-year-old altar boys at his parish he had them dress up as saints and martyrs before they had sex. They engaged in ‘ritualistic sexual fantasies’ that included ‘initiations of torture inflicted on Christ and certain saints.’ The lawsuits were settled out of court but not until after the Baltimore archdiocese tried to make the boys’ name public.”

Tell me that one paragraph alone couldn't be developed into a full length feature film?
Page after page, paragraph after paragraph, one story after another. To be honest I’m overwhelmed by “Sacrilege” by Leon Podles. My copy is folded and mutilated with pages falling out, I’ve circled paragraphs and tried to set up a kind of index for myself with the scrawlings in the margins.

** Sacrament abuse
** Bishops obviously lying under oath
** Law enforcement cooperating in covering up the crimes

Astonishing also in city after city is that no one in the church ever seemed to wonder what these crimes were doing to the children and the families of the children.

Where Do We Go From Here?????

Through August there was a notice here about a meeting and we did hold a meeting Sunday September 9th and a few people did show up. But I have come down off my delusion of grandeur cloud for last month. How can I produce a TV series when I don't even have a camera?

So I know what I’m going to do from here.
I know from reading Leon Podles’ book “Sacrilege.”
As Podles’ book shows there are volumes and volumes of documents about these crimes and almost every case is a full length feature film worthy story.

So I hope to be the Dominic Dunne of priest pedophile stories.

Dunne’s daughter Dominique Dunne was murdered in the early 1980s and her ex-boyfriend only served seven months for the crime. That motivated Dominic Dunne and he spent the rest of his life writing about rich people getting away with murder and became the world’s foremost authority on the subject.

I too am motivated by "Justice Interruptus" so I may spend the next 40 years document diving here in LA becoming to pedophile priest rape what Dominic Dunne it to rich people getting away with murder. I can only work with the resources I have at hand, and that's a blog and my laptop. Eventually I’ll get a digital camera and start interviewing people and doing b-roll and posting the videos.

But for now one step at a time. I am not a person with organizational skills to form a group, so let’s just drop that idea, okay?

RE THE ADS:
I just found out that every time someone visits this blog it registers with Google and I make some formula that comes out to a fraction of a cent. Then when people actually visit one of the ad sites I get another fraction of a cent. As more people read the blog the fractions of a penny get larger.

So the goal from here is to keep writing lots of stories and just posting them on the blog. Then try to increase the readership.

In the near future there will also be a second blog with more in depth articles on priest pedophile crimes, and more ads -- as I develop my Google blogger empire (next grand delusion?).

Why haven’t there been any posts in so long?

Every summer in late August I go through this lull. I was born August 29th but I was born three and a half weeks late, supposed to have a birthday in early August. Instead I just languished there in the heat of the womb and Chicago’s summer, not moving. I seem to still come to a stop at the end of August to this day. Around August 20th my life just comes to a stop. It doesn't help that in LA every time you step out the door you face a wall of heat. Then in early September the heat lifts and I just start getting energized again.

So -- More to Come. . .

*****$$$???!!!
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END COMMERCIAL BREAK*****

Civil Cases Behind Us, Let’s Produce Something New, Group Meets Sunday in LA to Brainstorm

2007-09-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

UPDATE: September 7. Haven't quit writing, just really slammed at work. More to come. . .

The complete story of what happened in the rectories and behind bishops’ doors has yet to come out. A group is meeting next Sunday afternoon here in LA, details on the left hand column of this blog. LA is full of creative people. The goal of this survivors’ project is to produce . . . something. My idea is a low budget digital video to post on a blog and then go from there. But I’m hoping people bring other ideas to the group.

With this blog I've learned the therapy is not just in writing but in having people read what you say. So with the civil cases mostly settled, it’s a good time to start a creative project, focusing of pedophile priest rapes, one story at a time, one parish, city, one region at a time. The goal is to get more details of the stories out to more people, using whatever media we know how to use.

There’s video blogs or I also thought we could do a play we’d perform as guerrilla theater in parks and public places. Part of the show would be handing out rotten tomatoes for the audience to throw at scarecrow like figures of bishops and priests. So the meeting Sunday is open to any ideas.

There are so many details from one crime to the next that are the same from city to city, children raped by a pedophile priest with the crime abetted by bishops. Yet there are still people all over the country who think this is all just about a little fondling. (See the new book Sacrilege, by Leon Podles, published this month.)

We're meeting this Sunday to discuss the first videos or other creative projects and ideas that people bring.

We weren’t just primed by pedophiles, they used Catholic sacraments to groom us.
The similarities and patterns in our stories are astounding.
My first posts here and on a message board I thought I’d be met with snarling angry emails. Instead I found a small population of people all over the country who share this peculiarly similar experience of being groomed -- as pedophiles so often groom children -- but with Catholic sacraments used as an aide in grooming us.

Producing this blog has given me a voice that's being heard. As a group we could expand that experience exponentially. So I hope people in LA who want to work on this project can make it to this Sunday’s meeting.

Details in the left column.

Nothing feels better than when you have a message
You HAVE TO get out
And people receive it.

You Get It Out.
There’s no therapy better than that.

Producing the City of Angels blog this past year has helped me more than 20 years in and out of therapy, 15 years of being clean and sober, immersion baptism and who knows what all else I’ve tried.

There is This Need to Get the Story Out.

So. . . let’s produce something!

Like Mickey Rooney to Judy Garland, I’m saying, "Hey I've got an idea, let's put on a show."

There are a lot of ways to tell these stories. My idea of a low budget digital video to put on a blog is just one idea.

I hope we can find a voice as a group and use it.

Anyone who feels as frustrated as I do that these stories have yet to come out and the legal system is not the way to do it -- hope to see you Sunday. The act of expression may heal even better than a settlement.

Kay Ebeling
Los Angeles

Ads?

Yes there are ads now on City of Angels Blog.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO VISIT OUR ADVERTISERS
COME BACK OFTEN!!
The Ads Are Constantly Changing in this Ethereal World of Google.
I make a fraction of a penny every time someone goes to an ad from this blog, so in a year or so I’ll have a hundred dollars.

The Pay Pal account is also still active, but I feel like I’ve been asking the same 300 people to click the button.

PS: THIS BLOG
And the People Who Clicked the PayPal Button
KEPT ME FROM BEING HOMELESS!!!
Last May and June I had ZERO INCOME from my other job. This blog and people's continued clicks of the PayPal button kept me and my daughter from being homeless.

So once again thank you to all who supported the blog.

Now Google has noticed how successful the blog is and added advertising.

Who knows where it will go from here.

Is This A Support Group Meeting Sunday?

No, this isn’t going to be a support group. We're going to produce something. I mean there’s the video blogs.

Or there’s live performances with rotten tomatoes.

For years I flailed about, writing draft after draft of My Story That Needs To Get Out. Then I started City of Angels blog and I was all meek and scared, sure I’d be met with fierce angry emails. Instead people read what I was writing, and within months I had this constructive venue for so much of my anger.

I can’t even begin to describe how much my self esteem is improved because people are reading the things I Burn To Say About The Story That Needs To Get Out.

To use better media than this blog we need to work as a group, so I hope people come Sunday with lots of ideas.

So many of us in LA are in the creative arts by profession or close to the arts. I’m sure a lot of survivors are also writers, directors, actors, prop specialists, sound specialists, and most important able to approach financiers for funding. This will NOT be a NON PROFIT, but the formation of a company. Whoever shows up at this meeting and actively participates will be a co-founder

An Executive Producer --

Your name on IMDB.com
More to Come. . .
*****$$$???!!!
Don’t forget the High Five Campaign. Put $5 or more on my PayPal account to keep this blog alive. Click the PayPal button in the top left corner. This is my way of --
Passing the Hat over the Internet, thank you
*****

Justice Interruptus

2007-08-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

(City of Angels Lady will be back after Labor Day.)

*****
By Kay Ebeling
I stand frozen over the coffee pot this morning, listening to news on the radio about the San Diego cases. My daughter walks in and says what's going on and then realizes and stops to listen as well. After the report I tell her “They're releasing the cases supposedly to go to jury trials. But they won’t. That's what they always do. They go right up to before the trial starts and then they settle. So they never testify under oath. The story never comes out.” [GUSH] Tears spew out all over my face, almost projectile, this gush that comes whenever this story spews back into my life. “Mom, stop,” she says after a good 30 seconds, and I can’t, but I say “I will.”

Several times in the last 15 or so years I’ve tried to “put this all behind me,” and I thought the LA cases were going to somehow help me with that. The issue of being raped by a priest at age five and how it affected my life always pushes its way back into my life when I try to let it go. So with jury trials pending in LA I was so fired up, ready with laptop in hand to take down everything they said in court. I work as a transcriber in my other life, so I was getting the quotes verbatim, everything they said. I looked forward to comparing the doddering J. Michael Hennigan -- who was going to be 1st chair throughout for the defendants -- to the guy in “Green Eggs and Ham” as they look so much alike. I was burning, ready to go.

And then it all came to a stop. On July 13th announcements began to spread all over the internet: the LA cases had settled. “NO!” I screamed at my computer. No! I told a few people it’s just a scare tactic, but actually the folks from Texas and Boston and Minnesota who’ve been dealing with the church for decades now had all predicted it. They never go to jury trial.

I wish they would go to trial in San Diego, just one case refuse to settle and instead go to jury trial to force one of these criminal monsignors and bishops to get on the stand under oath -- in public.

Abuse Tracker’s Kathy Shaw had emailed me months earlier. “They always settle two or three days before the trial, because none of them wants to get up and testify under oath.” People who’d been with these cases for 20 years or so knew it from the start, but it took me a while to grasp it.

They were never going to testify, never going to let the true story come out, not in civil trial.

Is there anyone out there with a backbone?
So now with the San Diego cases supposedly coming up for jury trials, it would be great if a judge or someone with power and a backbone would say, No, you can’t settle. You have to testify in court. It would really only take one bishop under oath for the story to start to come out, one hierarchy witness being forced to say what really was going on in the rectories and seminaries, and how many of them knew it, and how it was a part of their culture hidden from and inflicted on the general public.

With absolutely no regard for the children and families they damaged.

Will San Diego now go to jury trial and will we stop experiencing justice interruptus, finally get some satisfaction and yes maybe be able to get on with our lives? And stop spewing tears into our coffee?

It would take a miracle.

If you want to help develop a creative project dealing with the issue of pedophile priests, meet us at Starbucks Sunday September 9th Hollywood and Western at 2 PM -- be one of the executive producers. Hope to see you then.

========
Happy Birthday to me. Wednesday I turn 59 years old.

More to Come. . .

Pedophile priests in liberated LA: from Ziemann to Baker, no wonder Mahony won't testify; plus Doyle and Strutynski respond re church attorneys

2007-08-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

*****
Judge Fromholz on Vacation so next Clergy Cases hearing September 18th.

Sunday 9.9.07 meeting - info at left

By Kay Ebeling
“When he was auxiliary bishop of Fresno, Mahony was also a licensed social worker and was therefore required by law to report child abuse. When he became bishop of Stockton, California in 1980, Mahony surrendered this license and removed himself from the reporting requirements.”

That's from “Sacrilege” by Leon Podles due out from Crossland Press September 1st. (Amazing items about the handling of Michael Baker below.) City of Angels Lady is spending August curled up in the air conditioning with this 625-plus page book written by a bishopaccountability board member, and former federal investigator. At the end of August we’ll print a review, but here are some gems of information about the history of sexual abuse in the Los Angeles archdiocese that come up around page 217.

Podles begins the LA part of the story with George Patrick Ziemann, a friend of Mahony’s back in seminary. A plaintiff Richard at age 11 crossed paths with Ziemann when he was a parish priest in the 1960s in Huntington Park. Podles reports:

“Ziemann would give Richard fifty to a hundred dollars, tell him not to worry about it, then hear his confession and give him ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys as penance. This sexual relationship continued until 1986."

In the middle of this, Mahony made Ziemann head of a junior seminary. More sex abuse allegations came up about Ziemann. The Catholic church responded by making Ziemann bishop of Santa Rosa.

Now enters Jorge Salas into Ziemann's life a young Costa Rican who Ziemann ordained although the boy had never been to seminary. Ziemann had Salas on a beeper to be at Ziemann’s beck and call while at the same time the Costa Rican molested a number of young Latino boys in the area.

As you turn the pages you see that homosexuality and pedophilia antics of priests were blatant and out in the open both in seminary and in parishes in Southern California and Mahony and other Southern California Catholic hierarchy specialized in juggling the priests and hiding the problem.

We get a glimpse at how sex abuse claims were handled in the 1990s in LA going back to Msgr. Michael A. Harris, principal of Mater Dei High school in Santa Ana in 1979. A seminarian reported to Ziemann that Harris had molested a student, and “Ziemann did nothing.”

The Hollywood Priest

“Harris, known as the ‘Hollywood priest’ because of his good looks and charisma, was a wildly popular money raiser. At the 1987 opening of the Orange diocese’s new high school, ‘to a roar of applause from the audience, he ripped open his black clerical shirt to reveal a Superman logo.’

“He had raised $26 million for the school, where he found several good candidates for his bed. One died of AIDS in the 1990s and on his deathbed began telling the story of his relationship with Harris. Another man, Ryan DiMaria sued the Los Angeles and Orange Dioceses about his abuse by Harris in the early 1990s.

“Since Ziemann and Mahony both faced having to testify, the two dioceses offered DiMaria $5.2 million.”

Let me repeat that. In 1994 the church in LA paid one plaintiff $5.2 million to keep him quiet about one priest.

Podles’ report in SACRILEGE continues:

“One line of questioning that would have been extremely uncomfortable related to sexual activity at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Mahony’s alma mater. St. John’s ‘may be one of the country’s gayest facilities for higer education. Depending on whom you ask, gay and bisexual men make up anywhere from 30 percent to 70 percent of the student body at the college and graduate levels.’

Déjà Vu All Over Again

“In 1994 Harris had resigned from the priesthood and with the help of his wealthy backers he became head of a low income housing foundation for which he received $91,000 a year.” (In 1994)

Mahony’s handling of pedophile priest Michael Baker, after this.

(Baker is currently awaiting trial on two molest charges in LA’s Twin Towers jail.)

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The handling of predator priests by the LA Archdiocese is nowhere more perplexing than with Michael Stephen Baker.

In 1986 the new archbishop of Los Angeles Roger Mahony met with the LA priests and told them “if they had any sexual difficulties they should come to him,” which brought forward “the gregarious” Rev. Michael Stephen Baker admitting to Mahony that he’d molested several young boys.

The very next day Mahony met with Baker and an attorney who asked “Should we call the police now?” Baker recalled Mahony’s response to be "No-no-no.”

Podles’ report in "SACRILEGE" continues:

“Mahony did not ask for information or order an investigation.

"Baker was sent to therapy and given a series of temporary assignments in parishes, assignments which Mahony claimed he knew nothing about, although he had signed off on some of them.

“No one in the parishes was told of Baker’s admissions.”

In 2001 two men sued Baker for molesting them for 13 years. “The boys had remained silent because Baker had threatened them and had made their mother financially dependent on him,” Podles reports.

Baker offered to pay the boys one million dollars “(There was no indication of the source of this money.)” Baker asked the boys’ attorney to give them the money and just:

“Just don’t tell Roger. I’m supposed to be staying out of trouble. But I’m still doing things I shouldn't do. Roger will be mad if he finds out.”

Podles writes: “Roger did find out; whether he got mad we don’t know. But Roger immediately gave the boys $1.3 million (of which Baker paid $600,000) but did not tell the police.”

Baker gets $100 K severance pay just as reports of 10 more molests come up

Mahony “let Baker retire in 2002 with $100,000 severance pay. The next month the archdiocese learned that Baker had molested 10 more boys, but did not tell the police or parishes.”

A jury trial concerning Father Baker and his victims would have taken place in early 2008, if the cases in LA hadn't settled in July.

City of Angels Lady is on about Page 251 of this 600 some page book and got so engrossed today that my purse was snatched as I sat on a bus bench reading. Ah, life in LA.

LETTERS and EMAILS About the Church Attorneys' Dracula Like Sucking at the Hemorrhaging Cash From the LA Archdiocese’s Legal Funds, after this:

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YES: City of Angels Blog Now Carries Advertising:

I’m part of The Google now. Click on the ads and I make pennies. I tried to get by on the PayPal clicks by hardly anyone clicked so I had to add the ads.

EMAILS TO CITY OF ANGELS BLOG:

After the August 15 post re church attorneys being slugs, I got these two emails:

From Tom Doyle:

One must never forget that the lawyers for the church do not work on contingency. They get paid by the hour for every minute they work on their cases. In LA they have made tens of millions of dollars trying every which way imaginable to stone wall victims, to prevent justice from happening, to continue to propagate their bizarre propaganda that they actually care about victims and above all, to prevent Roger Mahony from having to answer for the crimes he has committed.

I have met Church attorneys who have hired detectives to spy on victims, their witnesses and their families. Some have tried every way imaginable to destroy the reputations and the will of the victims.

When bishops and their defenders are questioned about the morality of all of this the response is always the same: "that's the way the system works. If someone sues you, you fight back." Except that this isn't a fight. This is the Church, that mistakenly calls itself "The Body of Christ" trying, through morally deficient lawyers, to intimidate, embarrass, threaten and discourage the men and women sexually abused by this Church's own clerics. The cleric-abusers make the wounds and the bishops and their lawyers pour salt and turpentine into them.

I have been involved in this nightmare since 1984. The men and women who have been victims went to court as a last resort. The bishops never responded as pastors, only as machines or as administrators at best. The scare tactics, threats, etc. didn't work and the victims, tired of being jerked around, went to the civil courts. That is why we have civil suits. The dollar amounts are high but not high enough. The best thing the victims could do for the institutional Church would be to force real bankruptcy and not the feigned farces that San Diego, Spokane, Davenport, Portland and Tucson are involved in. Maybe the real Church would be able to emerge if the monarchs really did lose their palaces and their robes. Maybe insolvency would force the "Church" to really be "The Church."

Tom Doyle

And from Udo Strutynski

Kay,
I agree 1000%, and wish this particular blog could be published in the LA Times. But one note of caution, it's impossible to prove a negative, so your objection about the church's not doing so does the church no damage.

Better to have said, the church offered no alibis and made no attempt to argue the impossibility of the involvement of a particular accused cleric in the abuse. (The church, of course, can't prove the abuse never happened, just that their guy couldn't have done it on the day it was alleged.)
Keep up the great work.
Udo

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So City of Angels Lady is going to curl up with this book SACRILEGE by Leon Podles for a few more August afternoons and “review” it at the end of the month.

More to Come. . .

Church Attorneys Deserve All The Disrespect They Get

2007-08-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
Some might complain about the way I portray Church Attorneys on this blog, comparing them to Alice in Wonderland characters or cartoonish buffoons, but attorneys who represent the LA archdiocese and its cohorts deserve all the disrespect we can give them. They've made a hoax out of the American justice system proving to the world that whoever has the most money in this country wins. For anyone to even try and stand up against a money hemorrhaging machine like the Roman Catholic Church is a monumental effort.

Any Catholics who complain about the $660 million LA settlement should ask the LA Archdiocese for an accounting of how much was spent on the legal fight against the plaintiffs. We know that more than 18 law firms were attached to the cases and most of what they did was object to plaintiffs' discovery requests and file motions to strike for technical reasons.

The crimes that caused the lawsuits were horrific and premeditated, in some cases almost satanic, carried out on people so vulnerable they thought they were being taught some kind of secret religious ceremony. We were children. Messing sex with our religion messed with our lives in a frightening and hard to describe way. Now here was this parade of defense attorneys using doubletalk and blatant obstruction of justice to keep the crimes secret.

Church attorneys may have found legal loopholes to get cases thrown out, but the church never had any proof or evidence to prove the crimes did not take place. Church Attorneys deserve to be portrayed in this blog and in literature of the future in ways that show them to be as reprehensible as they are.

The LA Archdiocese had no legal arguments against the plaintiffs at all, at least not displayed in any of the pretrial documents. With few exceptions if jury trials had gone forward, the crimes of the church in LA were going to be documented, proved, and testified to under oath. Interesting items of evidence would have been introduced to prove what really goes on in the rectories and dorms and camps run by Catholics for children.

However, those of us who have lived through these crimes have not been silenced. Watch for the Very Merry Unjury Trials Coming Soon on this Blog -- hopefully for a very Merry Christmas --

Kay Ebeling
Los Angeles

Law enforcement agencies around LA ordered to produce files on predator priests

2007-08-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling
aka City of Angels Lady

This is the way I like to see church attorneys. All three round balding men were bent over the defense table today dejected, “He granted it” one shrieked when the clerk handed out the judge’s tentative order re plaintiffs’ motion to enforce subpoenas. Law enforcement agencies around Los Angeles are now ordered to produce documents on predator priests as requested by the plaintiffs in LA Clergy Cases 2007.

Judge Fromholz said, “the tentative is to turn the documents over to the court sealed for review,” and a Long Beach city attorney who was present in court used that time to hand a manila envelope to Paul, Judge Fromholz’ clerk in Dept 20 of Superior Court. Those documents handed over in court today concern case BC307222, plaintiff Mary Grant’s subpoena of documents on predator priest John Peter Lenihan.

Once again the defense was reduced to making plaintiffs’ arguments as Church Attorney Rutherford representing the Bishop of Orange said, “Plaintiff admits in her brief the only reason she wants this is to shed light on the secrecy of the archdiocese of Los Angeles.”

From my seat I watched the wrinkled coats of the three church attorneys’ backs as they bent over the defense table reading the judge’s decision and making moaning noises. Then I looked back at Patrick Laurence and Chris Campbell for the plaintiffs, each barely able to hold back grins as they read. And I thought, “So this is what it’s going to be about from here on, then, the slow release of documents to the public.” I grabbed a copy of the tentative out of the hands of John Spano from the Times long enough to read “these are documents of the court and as such they have to be public.”

City of Angels will have to wait until next week to read the final order from the judge -- when it shows up in those same wonderful public documents that we access in Room 106 of LA Superior Court 111 N. Hill Street. So watch for more in a report here next week.

A little drama in an earlier hearing: Motion of defendant Doe 1 through 5 to maintain documents under seal: Denied. Church Attorney Sean Kneafsey said, “This is the first time anyone has ever suggested the rules are different,” and Plaintiff Attorney Laurence slammed a notebook on the table, inhaled, stood up straighter, exhaled, and listened.

Kneafsey went on: “The right to a fair trial means the constitution has to be considered by this court. Saying the rules have completely changed is an end run around the July 6, 2006--

JUDGE: That was my order, June 6, 2006.

KNEAFSEY: Uh, uh, (Stumbles) June 6, 2006, protective order from this court.”

To Kneafsey’s left stood church attorney Wayne Dobman?? Doughman? I’ve called this church attorney “Dough Man” in my notes since the first time I saw him around February or March. He has this extremely white face with doughy features -- Dough Man like many church attorneys is getting rounder and more bent as the months go on. All three of them stood together and again looked like proud founding members of Young Republicans of America, aging. But that doughy guy never enunciates his name clearly in court. Maybe the blubbery lips make diction difficult.

Church Attorney Kneafsey droned on:

“The Seattle Times decision, that's a US Supreme Court decision, says pretrial material is not subject to public right of access because doesn't go through judicial review of admissibility.” Blah-blah-blah

As with the other decisions by the judge today, City of Angels will have to review them in Room 106 next week and then report more details here on this blog. So stay tuned:

More from today's hearing after this

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Church Attorney Rutherford continued to protest about turning over documents:

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY CAMPBELL: 18 months ago they were served this subpoena

CHURCH ATTORNEY RUTHERFORD: It’s not relevant to us as we're not parties to this settlement. Plaintiff admits in her brief the only reason she wants this is to shed light on the secrecy of the archdiocese of Los Angeles.

RUTHERFORD, CONT’D: The Diocese of Orange was created in 1976 and Lenihan came into it and served for a couple decades. The Subpoena doesn't focus on pre-1976 and items relevant to Los Angeles, it asks for “everything at any time”

Rutherford says Grant is asking for: “all calendars of Los Angeles of Orange, every priest, nun, attorney, contractor -- plaintiff even wants my calendar. The subpoena is completely over-broad and un-necessary to serve whatever interests she says she has in this case.”

JUDGE: Did she ask for all those calendars?

Patrick Laurence shakes his head at a loss for words and Rutherford goes on.

“The Diocese of Orange litigated a case against Mary Grant and now 20 years later she’s issuing subpoena for documents she could have asked for years ago -- Or she could have asked through Los Angeles before she settled.

“Nobody forced Ms. Grant to settle,” asserted Church Attorney Rutherford representing the bishop of Orange.

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY CAMPBELL: We were told the bulk of his file was transferred to Orange.

“Post abuse documents are relevant.

“We've offered to pay fees for time they spend. They won’t even produce a privilege log.”

RUTHERFORD: (Whining) We've got a couple of boxes of documents on that case from 20 years ago, can you imagine how much time it will take? It’s completely unnecessary.

JUDGE: Go into jury room right now to see if you can’t work out a compromise on the scope.

Why Was Tony DeMarco So Angry Last Week? After this:
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Now let’s see how cooperative Defendant Doe’s are being

On 7/31 re case bc308555 from Boucher’s office:
REPLY in support of motion to compel answers and production of documents re Plaintiff Robert M’s request for production of documents set one to defendant doe 48 --

Declaration of Anthony M. DeMarco, Esq.

Lists 10 lines of plaintiffs’ names, mostly first with last initial, and 23 defendant Doe’s.

Let Tony DeMarco’s words speak for themselves:

“Defendant represents that it will ‘file responses that are in substantial compliance” as soon as reasonably practicable.’

“As of the filing of this reply it has been more than three months since plaintiffs initially propounded the very limited requests for production, and no such response has been received.

“Nor has defendant even called to inform plaintiffs’ counsel when documents will be forthcoming. Defendant was first obligated to produce Father Martinez’ personnel file by the Court Order of January 23, 2006.

“Defendant argues its failure to provide any responses to plaintiff’s discovery requests is because

“Defendant didn't know about the requests.”

“Defendant concedes these requests were properly posted to CaseHomePae. Defendant makes no effort to explain how it would have been unaware of the Court’s prior order called above, or the Court April 30, 2007, order fully releasing for discovery and litigation all eight cases.. . .

“Defendant themselves have in the past chosen to serve documents
in these proceedings solely by posting them to Casehomepage.

“Plaintiffs’ motion to compel should be granted.”

It was.

This was the motion Fromholz granted last Tuesday Aug 7, when the one church attorney tried to explain, “Oh he served the subpoena on the national office, not the local ones,” and DeMarco was talking through his teeth.
=========
More to Come. . .

LA Clergy Cases: What Might Have Happened, What Did Happen, What's Still to Come

2007-08-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

Got downtown last week for one short session of document diving so clicked to the last screen. Here is a sample of what's been filed for public access since the July 16th settlement of 550 LA Clergy Cases.

We see the judge "granting Defendant's Evidentiary Motions," in other words the judge rejected massive amounts of evidence for what would have been upcoming trials. We see the Salesians being removed from three plaintiff cases as yet another Catholic Order takes advantage of the complex structure of the Catholic Church to hide its crimes.

Plaintiffs are still trying to get priest criminal records. Next Tuesday as hearings continue in Haley Fromholz's court, plaintiffs request support of subpoenas served on several LA area police departments for criminal records on pedophile priests. It’s going to take a court order to get documents from the Sheriffs and DA’s around LA because over and over again predator priests are claiming privacy rights.

No wonder other criminals want to beat up on predator priests in prison. Who else can claim a special connection to God as a reason to block evidence of his crimes -- and get away with it?

I’m swamped on my other job so below is the result of one afternoon of document diving last week. Hope to get to the hearing next Tuesday.

“Defendants’ Evidentiary Motions Are Sustained.” -- Judge Fromholz, July 18, 2007

Huge amounts of evidence would have been thrown out

Plaintiffs want the report of another victim to be considered evidence but Defendants argue that (Plaintiff H) never stated that he reported any abuse to Fr. Del Maso (Salesians Director) but--

“Instead H stated he was prevented from being able to report the abuse.”

ME: HE WAS PREVENTED BY THE CHURCH FROM REPORTING THE ABUSE, SO NOW SINCE THERE'S NO REPORT THERE'S NO EVIDENCE?

From Judge’s July 18 Order: “H stated that he ‘mentioned’ Miani while telling Fr. Del Maso that priest had been ‘disturbing boy’ although what H meant by this is unclear.”

H says he “never mentioned sexual abuse to Fr. Del Maso, although he believed that Fr. Del Maso knew that he was referring to sexual abuse.”

(ME: I WONDER WHAT DEL MASO SAID TO MAKE HIM FEEL THAT WAY?)

COURT FINDS THIS EVIDENCE “TOO SPECULATIVE”

One after another evidence was going to be dismissed against Miani and the SalesiansMore from

Judge Fromholz’ July 18 Order:

The testimony of a victim who said other priests probably heard him as a boy alone in Miani’s room

“DISMISSED”

“Nothing in RH’s testimony sufficiently suggests that any of the Defendant’s managing agents should have suspected sexual abuse.”

Stories from numerous other victims including some hearsay:

“DISMISSED”

“None of this evidence establishes notice on the part of the Defendant.”

A letter from 1967 written by Fr. Malloy:

“DISMISSED”

The letter “states that he does not believe Fr. Maini should leave the Salesian order to become a secular priest. Fr. Malloy states in part ‘you know your own character and I believe I also know it well. . . your weaknesses make secular life a real peril for you.’”

FROMHOLZ: Evidence is too weak to support “that the letter acknowledged Miani’s weaknesses yet the Salesians did nothing to prevent further abuse.”

RE BROTHER JOHN VERHART:

One of the plaintiffs states:

“Brother Verhart told me that he confessed to Father Pelligrino about what he had done to me.”

EVIDENCE DISMISSED:

“The statement wasn’t under oath and it’s double hearsay.”

FROMHOLZ, CONT’D: “Defendants are correct. While Verhart’s confession to Father Pelligrino might be an admission against interest, his purported statement to Strautmann is hearsay, an out of court statement offered to prove the matter”

RE BROTHER ANTHONY JUAREZ

An evaluation from 1957 says Juarez is “too inclined to take boys out of place, hands on too much. . . friendly to boys, withdrawn from superiors.”

Then an evaluation from 1958 says he “still persists in showing preferences for certain attractive boys.”

EVIDENCE DISMISSED

FROMHOLZ: “Again this evidence is far too attenuated to satisfy Plaintiffs’ burden on this motion.

“A considerable inferential leap is required to see these notations as evidence that Defendants had knowledge of abuse”

You Don’t Need an Inferential Leap

NOT IF YOU FOLLOW THIS STORY ACROSS THE NATION

It’s the same in city after city case after case order after order

BROTHER MARK EPPERSON

FROMHOLZ: “This case is not released so this motion is premature.”

“DEFENDANTS’ EVIDENTIARY MOTIONS ARE SUSTAINED” -- Judge Fromholz, July 18, 2007

Another recent Fromholz decision in favor of the Church re the Salesians in What Would Have Been Upcoming Pedophile Priest Civil Trials

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Here’s More:

WHAT PLAINTIFFS WERE GOING TO BE UP AGAINST IF THEY HADN’T SETTLED JULY 16

JULY 18 Order Signed by Judge re:

THREE PLAINTIFFS SEEK PUNITIVE DAMAGES AGAINST THE SALESIAN SOCIETY.

MOTION IS DENIED.

Fromholz: “Defendants argue that neither Richard Strutmann nor Richard Lukasiewicz’s cases are released. Plaintiffs do not appear to contest this argument.

“If neither case is released this motion is premature as to both of those Plaintiffs and has no application to them.”

RE FATHER TITIAN MIANI

They're trying to get a copy of a letter written in Italian talking about a transgression by the priest as far back as 1947 that was --

Surprise --

Overlooked and never reported by the Catholics in charge.

Fromholz: “This court is unable to find clear evidence indicating to whom the evidence was communicated.”

WELL IT WAS IN 1947…

“However, a letter apparently written by the ‘Bishop of Concordia’ states that Miani ‘has been a very good Seminarian, except for a brief moment of hesitation.’”

AH THAT VAGUE DOUBLE TALK THAT THEY ALL PRACTICED AND SPOKE IN FROM BALTIMORE TO OREGON

Defendants argue that the letters are in the hands of the “Central Province of the Salesians in Italy which is not a defendant in these cases,”

ONCE AGAIN THE CHURCH PASSES THE BUCK FROM ONE ORDER AND ITS BRANCHES TO ANOTHER

Fromholz: Defendants say the branch in Italy, is a separate and distinct entity from Defendants.”

RIGHT, AND WHO’S EVER GOING TO FIGURE OUT IF THAT'S TRUE?

FINALLY

Fromholz: “The translations are not certified under oath by a qualified interpreter as required by California Rule of Court 3.1110(g)”

Oh look it’s the White Rabbit reading to the Court before the queen of Hearts !!!

JULY 18 ORDER PLEADING SIGNED BY JUDGE FOR THREE PLAINTIFFS TO SEEK PUNITIVE DAMAGES AGAINST THE SALESIAN SOCIETY.

MOTION IS DENIED.

The very secretive nature of the church and its structure makes getting discovery evidence near impossible

MORE ON:
Tuesday August 14th hearing
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LOTS MORE MOTIONS ABOUT THOSE SUBPOENAS OF

LONG BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT
POMONA POLICE DEPARTMENT
LA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY,
LAPD,
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT,
POMONA POLICE DEPARTMENT,
SOUTHGATE POLICE DEPARTMENT
SANTA FE SPRINGS POLICE SUPPORT

And numerous others.

These are just some law enforcement agencies that are holding onto predator priests records because the priests have filed privacy objections. Plaintiffs want the records at least submitted for a judge to review “in camera” and decide what is relevant.

It Takes A Court Order to Get Law Enforcement to Release Records on Predator Priests.

HEARING AUGUST 14 AT 8:30 AM DEPT. 20 LA SUPERIOR COURT

A Priest Who Says He Has Special Privacy Rights Because He’s In Prison

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One subpoena for criminal records from San Gabriel, Alhambra, and LA Police Departments involves:

LAWRENCE J. LOVELL

Lovell objects to release of his records because “he has no legal counsel and has been committed to the Arizona Department of Corrections since May of 2003.”

Fromholz: “Court is not aware of any authority providing that being unrepresented or incarcerated is a basis for objecting to a subpoena.”

COMING NEXT WEEK: WHAT TONY DEMARCO WAS REALLY SO ANGRY ABOUT LAST TUESDAY

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I Have to Say This: We Lost in LA, the Church Used its Endless Wealth to Bulldoze Plaintiffs, Attorneys, Even Judges, Fight Still Being Fought Today

2007-08-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

*****
By Kay Ebeling

If anyone sues you and wants to take your tunic, let him have your coat also. -- Matthew 5:40

I walked into Department 20 this morning and there was Plaintiff Liaison Attorney Tony DeMarco in the front row his face still beating red and articulating anger as he waited for his clergy case hearing to be called. Here plaintiffs have been trying to get documents from the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Incorporated and in today's hearing yet another new church attorney explained, “He thinks the US Province and Western are one and the same when in fact they're two different entities and the Western Province was never served summons.”

Speaking through his teeth, DeMarco said, “Now that I’m being educated about the Western Province I’ll serve them. We served the order in Washington DC in 2005 when this case was released.” Motion was granted. This new church attorney who represents the Oblates will now be so cooperative, we are led to believe.

I haven’t written a post in almost a week as truth is since July 16th I’ve been walking around with my mouth hanging open feeling, well, unsettled after the $660 million dollar settlement. Truth is I feel like the church won a major victory in LA, that the plaintiffs and even the judge just caved under the nonstop onslaught of motions and arguments coming out of the 18-plus and counting law firms hired to fight the plaintiffs in these cases.

I don't like having to write that I think we lost, but if I don't write that I can’t seem to write anything else. So yeah, the church money and power plowed down everybody, the entire Superior Court system in LA just caved in to the Archdiocese.

The church won in LA by hiring enough attorneys to perform a kind of legal obstruction of justice. I watched in the weeks before the first trial, plaintiff attorneys would come before the judge numerous times asking for an order to compel a defense witness to testify in deposition. The judge would grant the order and a few weeks later plaintiffs would be before the judge again, now saying they need an order to compel the witness to answer all the questions in the deposition, because his church attorney won’t allow him to answer. This time there would be a new attorney from a new law firm before the judge representing defendant archdiocese or whatever order was in question, new attorneys kept appearing all the time.

Being a new attorney he he could say, gee, judge, I don't know what he’s talking about, problems getting the defendant witness to answer? We'll be glad to comply. Two months later the plaintiff attorney is before the judge now asking for a discovery referee because that defense hierarchy witness now has another lawyer and none of the questions are being answered.

I watched Katherine Freberg try one way after another for more than a year to get definitive answers out of Cardinal Mahony to Interrogatories 1-8, and as the Caffoe and Hagenbach cases jury trials approached for which those interrogatory answers were needed, the judge seems to have accepted answers written by Monsignor Gonzales instead of Cardinal Mahony, what else could plaintiffs and the judge do but -- cave? It was obvious the untouchable Roger Cardinal Mahony was never going to answer a question under oath.

One after another cases got struck and dismissed as members of the 18-plus law firms representing the church and 18-plus orders began a buck passing routine. One order could pass responsibility to another and that one passed it to another, each found ways to use that very confusion about which order was responsible for what -- to get the cases dismissed.

And there were church attorneys in court just this morning continuing the same routine.

After this:
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We're Not Denying You Were Molested by a Priest, but You Filed the Papers with the Wrong Order --

Case Dismissed

We're not denying that the molestation took place, reads several of the motions to quash and dismiss filed by the church, we're just saying plaintiff served the subpoena on the wrong entity and by the time plaintiff realized we were hiding over here under the auspices of a different entity, the Statute of Limitations had run out.

Nyah, nyah, nyah

Good thing I go to a Scripture based Anger Management class, where I saw this: in Matthew 5:40 quoting Jesus himself it says: “If anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your coat also.” And you know what you've gotta laugh. . .\

That scripture comes directly after the Gospel about turning the other cheek. I don't know where in Scripture it says to hire as many attorneys as you can to not only keep the truth from coming out but to keep from even getting a stain on the tunic.

The church created loopholes that ended up in plaintiff cases being dismissed, taking advantage of its own confusing structure to keep plaintiffs from knowing who the real culprits were. Most of the time those loopholes were the result of the miasma of religious orders, seminaries, schools and parishes that make up the Los Angeles Archdiocese, that now in 2007 the archdiocese has conveniently disconnected itself from, creating a miasma out of the clergy cases themselves.

It was four or five main plaintiff attorney firms running on their own resources, versus this never ending list of new law firms, one after the other, signing on as church attorneys, one whole firm assigned to help out each individual order, each individual parish. The amount of cash spent by the archdiocese to fight the plaintiffs in these cases would be illegal in a rational world. But it’s America in 2007 and the person with the most cash wins. The plaintiffs are lucky they were able to get what they got -- enough money to maybe buy a condo and get some dental work done. But it was far short of a victory to celebrate.

I went through my notes looking for ways to explain it and found things like this:

March 27 Plaintiffs attorneys filed a Motion for a discovery referee and -- And there still trying to get one by the July 16th settlement. It was March 27th that DeMarco was in court trying to get Monsignor Lirette to give answers in deposition instead of the constant objections from church attorneys to every questions.

DID THEY EVER GET A DEPOSITION FROM LIRETTE:
More after this:

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The fight went on from at least March through July to get a deposition from Monsignor Lirette:

Then there was the nonstop stream of motions to strike and dismiss filed by the hyperactive Lee Potts that ended up with attorneys from both sides arguing in front of the judge and producing transcripts like this from April 24th.

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY DEMARCO: There have been quite a few motions filed and quite a few folks not getting motions filed because of the service…

CHURCH ATTORNEY POTTS: (getting rattled) We did what's required-- The motion was on the second page and he says he didn't get it --

DEMARCO: It wasn’t faxed, emailed personally delivered, mailed. Case management is not exactly crystal clear on that point.

JUDGE HALEY FROMHOLZ: This is an argument for another day, (he’s thrown his hands up in the air as he speaks).

JUDGE: (Glares at Potts) You may not be aware of it

POTTS: (Laughs nervously)

JUDGE: I’ve had a constant stream of motions to dismiss based on certificates of merit.

DEMARCO: We'll raise it in a different context--

JUDGE: Mr. Potts, there was another one taken off calendar yesterday because of the same arguments, certificates of merit.

DEMARCO: We had provided them with an answer, we had provided those certificates some time back and re-provided again and Mr. Potts was cordial enough to take this one motion off the calendar -- it wasn’t for a lack of diligence.

JUDGE: Please be mindful of that gentlemen.

Just today in I believe that same case, the judge decided to grant the motion to strike and dismiss because of confusion over those same certificates of merit.

(I don't claim to understood all of this. )
In fact last few times I've gone document diving it all just started to swirl and confuse me
Imagine what it does to a mainstream media reporter. . .

I watched church attorneys stand in front of the judge and repeat over and over arguments that the judge had already overruled. It was going to go on and on and on with no resolution for maybe two more years and more cases being thrown out.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs tried to take depositions from critical defense witnesses for months and made little progress, because of church attorneys literally blocking doors (or arranging to have doors blocked). Katherine Freberg tried for almost a year to get definitive answers from Roger Mahony in written interrogatories and a week before the trial the judge gave in and accepted non-answers from Mahony’s Gonzales, Monsignor Gonzales, as the best we're ever going to get out of Mahony. It was a way to avoid having to postpone yet another trial yet another time, as answers to the interrogatories were necessary for the Hagenbach trials set to start July 9th.

But truth is Mahony never had to answer those interrogatories and it was obvious he was never going to.
Instead we had hearings with arguments like this before the judge from April 24:

CHURCH ATTORNEY LEE POTTS: We did what's required, your honor (getting rattled)

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY TONY DEMARCO: The motion wasn’t faxed, emailed personally delivered, mailed. Case management is not exactly crystal clear on that point.

FROMHOLZ: This is an argument for another day, (he’s thrown his hands up in the air as he speaks.) You may not be aware of it

LEE POTTS: Laughs

FROMHOLZ: I’ve had a constant stream of motions to dismiss based on certificates of merit. Mr. Potts there, was another one taken off calendar yesterday because of the same arguments.

Plaintiffs were never going to get cooperation from the defendants.

It was better to throw in the towel and take whatever settlement they could get in July because by September and October things would just be worse. The church would just hire more attorneys and file more redundant motions and find more excuses for “hierarchy” witnesses to not testify, until all the hierarchy witnesses with anything to say have died from old age, natural causes.

This is as good as it’s going to get in LA. And me, I’m unsettled.

I’m not even settled with this post but I have to just post it and then move on.

Coming soon: Review of “Sacrilege” by Leon J. Podles, new very revealing book about the aiding and abetting pedophiles in the church all over the country .

More To Come. . .

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It's clear: LA Times now provides PR service for LA archdiocese; plus things accidentally left out of last two posts

2007-08-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

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By Kay Ebeling
The LA Times came through with an article Monday that was orchestrated by the LA archdiocese PR machine. You can see Teachers Assistant Sitrick in front of Public Relations 301 class holding up a PERT chart saying, You take this action, (points to cardinal meeting with crime victims) and the result just a few weeks later is this (points to rosy articles all over the news about crime victims meeting with the cardinal).

CLOSEUP: Tear willowing down the Cardinal’s bony cheek.

Here is the beginning of the article. The first few sentences are right out of Journalism 101 in adult school. Come on, this is the LA Times, or it was:

Abuse victims turned to Mahony in anger, pain
As lawyers worked on a payout, the archbishop met individually with more than 70 victims.

By Rebecca Trounson, Tami Abdollah and John Spano, Times Staff Writers
July 30, 2007

They arrived at the civil courthouse in downtown Los Angeles with their spouses, their parents, girlfriends or siblings. One group of childhood friends, now in their 50s, came together; as girls, they had been molested by the same priest.

Some sought an apology, others reconciliation. And some just hoped to vent their outrage and be heard, directly, by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who has headed the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 1985. . . .

For the last year, as attorneys have battled over the size and details of an ultimately record-breaking clergy abuse settlement by the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Mahony has met individually with more than 70 of those who sued him

Yada yada yada . . .

However, Mahony’s PR machine is not limited to Los Angeles.

Here’s the same story taking place in Joliet, Illinois:

Critics: Diocese has seen little change in past year
August 1, 2007
By Ken O'Brien Special to the Daily Southtown

When he was introduced last year to replace Bishop Joseph Imesch, Bishop J. Peter Sartain talked about healing the wounds of people who accused priests of sexually abusing them. . . .

Imesch became a target because of how he handled the cases. Attorneys who've sued the diocese say he protected priests at the expense of children.

In the last year, Sartain said, he has met with victims of priest sexual abuse in the diocese. He said those meetings "were gut-wrenching" and resulted in him praying for them "for healing in whatever way they need it."

Yada yada yada again--

Apparently reporters in Joliet use the same Catholic Church PR releases, only with a local spin, to write their stories as do the reporters in Los Angeles.

And as always, to fill up those column inches you call spokes models, I mean spokes persons for associated groups that publicize themselves as spokes persons. . .

Things left out of last two blogs after this:
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When I wrote that story in the last blog, the incident in the liquor store basement, right before posting I cut several paragraphs in a near panic. By doing that I accidentally left out the two most important parts of the story.

1-- when it happened I did not yet connect my relationship with Father Horne with my out of control behavior. I was still living in the middle of living it.

Point is there are probably a few hundred people on Santa Monica Boulevard or Sunset today in the same state of delusion. I didn't make the connection between pedophile priest rape and me acting out as an adult until I finally slowed down enough to look at it, in my forties.

Also Number 2 --

--and this is the most important part of the incident under the door in the floor of the liquor store.

I got rescued once again by an angel. Well not as blatantly as in my story at

http://cityofangels1.blogspot.com

under the Chapter titled “A miracle that I made it past my teens-- literally.”

After the incident in the liquor store basement --

I was lying on top of a pile of liquor bottle crates or a table, whatever was in that basement.

This blond guy had been standing off to the side the whole time. He sort of carried me, somehow got me out of that basement. He took me to his little apartment down the street and nursed me to health. Then as soon as he wasn’t looking I ran out the door.

Just like that time in Galveston, oh shoot, that's another whole story:

Point is once again something miraculous happened that saved me. I’ve always said that God looked down and saw what was happening to me at age five-six and he dispatched a separate special set of angels to watch over me, because He knew, after having that experience I was going to get into a lot of trouble in my life.

ALSO IN THE POST TWO POSTS BACK

Forgot to include the definition of priest from an 1897 Bible Dictionary

Re Sunday’s headline: “Don’t Trust Anything Written after 100 AD.” The meaning of the word “priest” as it was revolutionized by Christ himself “implies no sacerdotal functions” and the term priest now post-Christ applies to all believers.

Again the exact opposite of what it says in the New Testament about how to create a church is what we have today in the Catholic Church.

From
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

“The whole priestly system of the Jews was typical. The Jewish priests all prefigured the great Priest who offered "one sacrifice for sins" "once for all" (Heb. 10:10, 12). There is now no human priesthood. (See Epistle to the Hebrews throughout.) The term "priest" is indeed applied to all believers (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6), but in these cases it implies no sacerdotal functions. All true believers are now "kings and priests unto God." As priests they have free access into the holiest of all, and offer up the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and the sacrifices of grateful service from day to day.

So not only is there not "only one true church," but to follow Christ, you really don’t even need a church at all.

But you do need a blog:

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I went to the Courthouse earlier this week and there are still hearings going on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. City of Angels Lady will be there next week and you can read the reports here.

More to Come. . .

With perpetrators like Mark Falvey and Paul Shanley, there have to be more victims in LA of predator priests. Settlement not the end of the story

2007-07-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

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By Kay Ebeling
How many people believe there was only one person in Riverside diocese, then part of the LA Archdiocese, raped and sexually demeaned for life by the Rev. Paul Shanley while he was living in Palm Springs in the 1990s? Anyone? Anyone? What about victims of Father Mark Falvey who preyed on children at Blessed Sacrament School in the 1960s and 70s? Do you really think the nine people who quietly settled for $14 million dollars last May were the only victims of Mark Falvey on that Hollywood elementary school playground?

The LA Archdiocese got off so easy with the recent settlement because the stories of 500-plus plaintiffs’ experience with priests -- the details of how these demonic men mixed religious sacraments with mind-control while raping children over and over again -- will now not be told in open court as so many of us were anticipating.

Plus I’m certain there are numerous damaged humans wandering around Los Angeles today who are untreated victims of this crime, with no legal recourse. Many of them are probably a few blocks away from me right now on Santa Monica Boulevard selling their bodies for another night’s survival. In all the interviews I’ve seen about LA plaintiffs, I’ve never seen one with a homeless prostitute drug addict, which in my observation, is a state many pedophile priest rape crime victims end up living their lives.

Our stories haven’t even begun to come out
There are more stories of those of us who survive at a sort of subterranean level.

Flashbacks forever fill my head and thanks to this blog I’ve found a way to connect them with what's going on today. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about a night in the mid-1980s when I was particularly out of my mind drunk and on whatever combination of drugs I’d found that night. I wandered up Sunset Boulevard in the area around the night clubs and bars that used to be called The Strip.

Soon I was in a liquor store and the Iranian guys who ran it could tell I was out of my mind drunk and high. I wandered around looking a lot like Little Annie Fannie in those days.

So the liquor store guys opened this door in the floor and I totally willingly went downstairs into the basement and got gang banged by all of them, I’m not even sure how many. This kind of experience was so ordinary for me in those days that I even at one point took a time out to run upstairs and into the store to get a bag of cashew nuts. (Have lived always with eating disorders as well.)

I post that experience not to brag or beg for sympathy but as a demonstration of what the experience of rape by a Catholic priest at age five or so does to a human being, the damage that goes all the way down to the core of the soul. I walked voluntarily into situations like gang bangs several times in my life almost like I was in a hypnotic state.

That priest in Bartlett, Illinois filled my head at age five with fantasies about having sex with lots of strange men. He was teaching me the sacrament of Confession. At age six I didn't understand what the “impure thoughts” were that we were supposed to confess. So Father Thomas Barry Horne filled my head with his fantasies as an explanation.

And I incorporated those fantasies into my life.
As a result I never experienced anything like what we know of as success in my life.
I was always losing my job for having sex with too many men, or men I barely knew, men in positions of power, or close to men in power or just anybody.

A LOT OF PEDOPHILE PRIEST RAPE VICTIMS LIVE THEIR LIVES THAT WAY

It’s hard for me to believe that the well fed well washed individuals that get paraded out to the media as “survivors” at every pedophile priest media event are really demonstrative of the population of priest rape crime victims all over the world.

In the last two years, first posting a lot on message boards then starting this blog, I’ve met some really screwed up people who were raped by priests as kids, and many of them have never held a job, never had a successful marriage.

And never been able to even get it together to file a civil lawsuit.

A lot of victims still might not even know they have a civil case against the church.

I was looking forward to the trials so these stories would start to come out and be written in the mainstream media. If a person testifies in court it’s much more likely to appear in mainstream media.

(All these stories are in the court documents but it’s a lot of work to dig up those documents. You can’t expect fulltime paid mainstream media reporters to work that hard.)

In LA today Baker and Wempe are among the few perpetrators’ names that have appeared in any major media. A few other priests names were spelled out to reporters and then written into news stories after the July 16th settlement.

How many other victims of this crime are out there in LA today? How many had their indoctrination at the hands of an LA archdiocese priest, but they didn't even know the opportunity was there to file a lawsuit?
ESPECIALLY considering some of the cases that were settled.

Consider Paul Shanley and Mark Falvey, after this

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ONE PLAINTIFF came forward who was a victim of Rev. Paul Shanley. One. Just One.

In 1990 The famous Boston pedophile aka “hippie priest” for his street outreach work in the psychedelic seventies, Paul Shanley was transferred to a parish in Lake Arrowhead as a "priest in good standing" who has "no problem that would be a concern to your diocese." No one from Boston mentioned the series of anomalies in Shanley's file dating from 1967.

As a part time priest Shanley performed Mass once in a while in Lake Arrowhead and his official residence was the St. Anne’s rectory. But Shanley spent most his time at the gay motel The Cabana Club that he owned with his predator pervert priest partner Jack White.

The one, count them, one plaintiff in the LA cases who filed a lawsuit because of Paul Shanley said that the priest encouraged him to have sex with as many men as possible out there by the pool and surrounding alleys near the Cabana Club in Palm Springs.

Do you believe for one minute that there is only one crime victim in Southern California with a case regarding Paul Shanley? Has anyone ever gone to Palm Springs and wandered the streets interviewing people and asking them if they remember Shanley and do they know of any children that he raped while he plundered through Palm Springs in the 1990s?

(I’d go with a video camera and find the whole story and post it here as a video blog, someday)

The priest with candy in his vestment pockets, after this.

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Then there is the case of Mark Falvey who was priest and teacher in the 1960s and 70s at a Hollywood Catholic institution on Sunset Boulevard, the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, and its adjacent elementary school. According to a complaint filed in 2003 by plaintiff attorney Venus Soltan, Falvey “took a special interest in select boys, most of them small for their age.”

Falvey “Made himself well liked among students” reads the original complaint.

He carried candy in his vestment pockets. Falvey would encourage children attending Defendant Doe 2 (Blessed Sacrament School) to put their hands in his pockets to get the candy. “Falvey would often encourage the children to do this even though he no longer had candy in his pockets as a ploy to be touched by children near genitals,” reads one original complaint.

There MUST be more cases of abuse by Mark Falvey.

On May 17 of this year the Jesuits announced they were paying $14 million dollars to nine plaintiffs. Falvey’s case hadn’t even gone into discovery and they paid out $14 million to nine people.

To shut them up?

Has anyone ever heard anything more about Father Mark Falvey? Now that the trials are canceled, we probably won’t.

What about all the other children who spent time with Father Falvey in the hundred year old halls and crevices of Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunset Boulevard in the middle of Hollywood when Falvey served the church in the 1960s and 1970s?

I have a real strong gut feeling there are more than nine victims of Mark Falvey wandering around LA today.

Meeting September 9th -- see left hand column of this blog for details.

More to Come. . .