Judge denies Washington AG's subpoena for church records, citing charitable trust law; Church offers to provide records lawfully.

Judge rejects Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's effort to get decades of records from the Seattle Archdiocese, despite arguing they are needed to investigate whether the Catholic Church used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests. The judge sided with the archdiocese, which argued that under Washington state law governing charitable trusts, Ferguson did not have authority to enforce the subpoena. Despite this, Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said the Church is willing to provide relevant records and collaborate with the investigation in a lawful manner.

July 12, 2024
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