Claims of Abuse at San Diego Church

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lawyers for nearly 150 people who claim they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests in the San Diego Diocese released thousands of pages of previously sealed church documents on Sunday with details of complaints against the priests that include medical records and correspondence between priests and their superiors.

A judge ruled on Friday that roughly 10,000 pages of internal records could be made public after a years-long legal battle between those who claimed abuse and the diocese. The records are from the personnel files of 48 priests who were either credibly accused or convicted of sexual abuse or named in a civil suit.

The 144 plaintiffs settled with the diocese in 2007 for nearly $200 million; the agreement provided that an independent judge would determine what personnel records could be made public.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the files showed how much the diocese knew about abusive priests, starting decades before any allegations became public, and that some of the accused priests were shuffled from parish to parish or overseas. A spokeswoman for the diocese did not immediately return a call.

The papers include documents from the files of the Rev. Anthony Rodrigue. In 1976, a group of parents at Father Rodrigue’s parish, in Heber, Calif., complained that he had molested their children. He was sent to a psychiatric facility but was put back into the ministry despite the recommendations of those who treated him.