Kansas City diocese - SNAP loses appeal to block release of internal documents

bron SNAP
Petition for writ of prohibition denied.

To see the ruling:
1. Go to
 https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do
2. Click Case Number Search
3. Type in SC92716
4. When the page loads, click the link on the left (It should be SC92716 linked)
5. Click docket entries, and it’s at the top.

 NCR
 Aug. 14, 2012

By Joshua J. McElwee 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Following denial Tuesday of an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests will have to decide whether to comply with a local judge's order to grant access to more than 23 years of internal documents to attorneys representing accused priests.
The denial, issued by the court Tuesday afternoon, is the latest in a months-long saga of SNAP, the leading advocacy group for clergy sex abuse victims, to stop access to the documents.

The group had filed a writ of prohibition to the court in late July, alleging that the order, which requires it to hand over a range of eight categories of documents, violates the freedom of speech and the rights of association of SNAP's members and volunteers.

Several groups -- including 24 victims' advocacy and church reform groups and six former and current local, state and federal prosecutors -- filed amicus briefs with the court that supported SNAP's position, saying the order could lead to further victimization and ultimately "intimidate, harass, and silence victims of sexual abuse."

SNAP's executive director, David Clohessy, was not specific about what steps his group would take next.
"We'll continue to do everything possible to protect the privacy and safety of victims, witnesses, whistleblowers, police, prosecutors, journalists and others who seek our help," Clohessy wrote in an email to NCR following the denial.

"We're in unchartered waters for us and we're taking it a step at a time," he said.

If SNAP does not comply with the order, it could be found in contempt of court.

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