Judge to consider secrecy of insurance records in abuse case

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge will hold a hearing next week on whether the Archdiocese of Santa Fe must disclose records on insurance coverage expected to pay much of a settlement in a case involving over 400 hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse. The diocese has requested insurance coverage documents be sealed because agreements between the archdiocese and insurers indicated they’d be confidential. A diocese attorney said breaching confidentiality provisions could cause the agreements to be voided and lead to expensive and extended litigation of coverage disputes. Lawyers for victims object to sealing the records and one says secrecy contributed to the widespread abuse in the first place.