Stockton Diocese Heads To Trial On Sex Abuse Suit

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) -- A judge has ordered the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton to proceed to trial in a lawsuit alleging priest sex abuse in the 1980s.

The lawsuit, filed by a 36-year-old man, says diocese officials should have known that the Rev. Michael Kelly posed a threat. Kelly also is named in the lawsuit.

Statutes of limitations prevent cases from being filed long after the alleged abuse, but the plaintiff claims the memories were repressed until 2006.

The church conducted its own investigation and cleared Kelly in 2008.

The Record of Stockton reports that diocese lawyers argued in San Joaquin County Superior Court last week that it shouldn't be held responsible for the alleged abuse. But the judge refused to drop the diocese from the lawsuit Monday.

Both sides are due to meet for a mandatory settlement conference in June.
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