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Some Priests Are Suing Their Accusers - Critics see a resemblance to a banned legal strategy for silencing opponents. Lawyer rejects the parallel. By Jean Guccione Times Staff Writer 3/5/04 "A priest formerly based in Los Angeles has taken an unusual approach in defending himself against an allegation that he molested a girl three decades ago: He has sued his accuser. A dozen or so such lawsuits have been filed nationally in recent years as the child sexual abuse scandal has spread across the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, according to experts who monitor clergy sexual abuse litigation. In a San Francisco case, a judge dismissed a libel lawsuit after finding that the priest could not prevail. Another suit by a priest against his accuser was dropped in St. Louis after the archdiocese agreed to pay the alleged victim $22,500. Winning isn't necessarily the goal, some experts said. The suits adopt a decades-old legal strategy that has been used against activists and ordinary people who have spoken against developers, big property owners and other special interests. The libel suit filed Feb. 23 by Msgr. Joseph F. Alzugaray in Los Angeles County Superior Court resembles what is identified in state law as a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP suit, although his lawyer denies that characterization. In a SLAPP suit, "the person who is accused of illegal activities turns the table on the accuser," said attorney Mark Goldowitz, director of the California Anti-SLAPP Project and counsel for the woman who was sued for defamation in San Francisco. The lawsuits are "usually filed to retaliate or silence critics," he said."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-priests5mar05,1,7272280.story?coll=l
a-headlines-california
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/international/middleeast/07DETA.html?ex=1079669206&ei=1&en=f6474aed57703026
As U.S. Detains Iraqis, Families Plead for News
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: March 7, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 6 â Sabrea Kudi cannot find her son. He was taken by American soldiers nearly nine months ago, and there has been no trace of him since. "I'm afraid he's dead," Ms. Kudi said.
Lara Waad cannot find her husband. He was arrested in a raid, too.
"I had God â and I had him," she said. "Now I am alone."
In Abu Sifa, a sunbaked village north of Baghdad, entire swaths of farmland have been cleared of males â fathers, sons, brothers, cousins.
There are no men to do men's work. Women till the fields, guard the houses and hoist sacks of grapefruit on their backs.
"Essam, come here," said Malaika Hassan, to her grandson. "Show our friends who is the new man of the house." Essam nuzzled in her skirt. He is 10 years old. Iraq has a new generation of missing men. But instead of ending up in mass graves or at the bottom of the Tigris River, as they often did during the rule of Saddam Hussein, they are detained somewhere in American jails. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
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