LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The Archdiocese of Louisville has been thwarted in its effort to keep more than 150 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests out of the public eye.
Jefferson County Circuit Judge James Shake heard arguments two weeks ago on the archdiocese's request that the documents be kept secret. He rejected the request Thursday.
"From here, we go to the light of day," said William McMurry, the attorney for nearly all 154 plaintiffs. "Everything the archdiocese does applying to these cases will be under public scrutiny."
In its motion, the archdiocese cited a 1998 state law requiring documents in child sex abuse cases to be sealed if the alleged abuse took place more than five years earlier. Most of the recent cases involve alleged abuse that occurred more than 30 years ago.
Shake's ruling said the law applied only to lawsuits naming the perpetrator as a defendant. The recent suits name the archdiocese and Archbishop Thomas Kelly as defendants, but not the priests.
The archdiocese also argued that priests should not be named publicly until they were found guilty of a crime. Only one of the 20 priests who has been named has been indicted. The Rev. Louis Miller, named in 63 of the lawsuits, was indicted last month on 42 felony counts of sexual misconduct. He has pleaded innocent.
Spokesman Brian Reynolds said Thursday that the archdiocese still objects to releasing the priests' names, but will not appeal.
"We remain concerned about the importance of protecting the rights of innocent people," he said. "However, we are not afraid of facts coming out concerning these cases."
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, the commonwealth's attorney's office and The Courier-Journal filed motions to keep the documents open.
The plaintiffs claim they were sexually abused by clergy or church employees when they were children. They say church officials were aware of the abuse but did nothing about it.
In developments elsewhere:
-- California Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill easing limits on legal action by victims of childhood abuse. The law, a response to allegations of abuse by priests, allows victims to sue groups for whom the abuser worked or volunteered. It also allows Californians to file suits against childhood abusers after reaching age 26, the current limit. The law takes effect Jan. 1.
-- In Washington, the pastor of a Capitol Hill parish was placed on administrative leave after a second abuse allegation was lodged against him this week. The Rev. Paul Lavin, pastor of St. Joseph's since 1991, denied the allegations. The first allegation, which was made five years ago, could not be substantiated, authorities said.
-- The Milwaukee Archdiocese said it would heed an advisory panel's recommendation that all allegations of priest abuse be investigated, regardless of whether district attorneys decide to prosecute. A former judge will serve as an outside investigator to review cases that prosecutors return to the archdiocese, church officials said.
-- In Greenfield, Mass., four men sued a priest who served 10 years' probation after pleading guilty in 1992 to molesting two altar boys. The latest suits claim the priest abused them in the 1970s and 1980s while serving several parishes in Massachusetts.
-- In Texas, a couple who claim their daughter was impregnated by a priest when she was 17 sued the Diocese of Amarillo. The suit also accuses the church of conspiring to hide sexual abuse by other priests. Diocese officials referred all questions to attorney Fred Griffin, who was out of town Thursday.
-- Two men sued a priest, the priest's parish and the Archdiocese of Miami, claiming the clergyman molested them in the 1980s. The priest was placed on administrative leave in June following another abuse allegation. Archdiocese officials said the priest has denied the allegation.
-- The Archdiocese of Detroit removed a priest because of alleged sexual misconduct with minors. The Rev. Alfred Miller, 64, requested and was granted retired priest status.
-- In Cleveland, three men who lived in a youth treatment center in the mid-1980s filed a lawsuit accusing a former chaplain of sexually abusing them. The Rev. Joseph Seminatore is one of 15 priests in the Cleveland diocese under suspension for allegedly sexually abusing children.
Kenneth Seminatore, the priest's attorney brother, said the priest is the victim of false allegations brought by a troubled man with a criminal past and a vendetta.