Effect of pleas on suits against archdiocese is unclear

By Gregory A. Hall
The Courier-Journal

More Stories * Miller admits sexual abuse of children * Abuse victims see only partial justice

It was unclear yesterday how the Rev. Louis E. Miller's guilty pleas in a criminal case would affect lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville that name him as an abuser.

William McMurry, an attorney for nearly all of the more than 200 plaintiffs suing the archdiocese, accusing it of covering up abuse by Miller and others, said the pleas mean he won't have to prove that abuse occurred.

''And I think the volume of guilty pleas is overwhelming evidence that the church had to have known what'' Miller had done, McMurry said.

The archdiocese has denied the allegations that it knew of the abuse and covered it up.

Brian Reynolds, the archdiocese's chancellor and chief administrative officer, said yesterday that he's not sure how Miller's pleas will affect the civil cases, although he predicted it could hasten a resolution of the suits.

Although he said the archdiocese wasn't involved with Miller's defense, ''had there been a trial, I think most of people's energies would have gone in that direction.''

Reynolds said Miller's actions haven't been as much in question as the primary question in the civil cases, which relates to what church officials did or failed to do.

One development that became public during yesterday's criminal proceedings is that Miller is expected to testify through a deposition in the civil cases.

Miller's attorney in the criminal litigation, David Lambertus, announced in court yesterday that Miller has been subpoenaed to give a deposition for the civil cases on May 22.

McMurry said he expects Miller to ''waive all privileges'' not to testify.

''My belief is that Miller has acknowledged and recognized that all of these victims were, in part, victimized by the church as an organization,'' McMurry said. ''He went to the church. He tried to resign.

''I think that we are going to see a very cooperative Miller in the deposition. We are going to see a very cooperative Miller from here on out in terms of helping us better understand what the church knew and when they knew it.''

A journal Miller wrote in conjunction with psychological therapy says that when allegations of sexual abuse surfaced in 1961, the priest asked to leave the priesthood but an archbishop told him not to.

Archdiocesan officials have said they don't know whether Miller's account is accurate.