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CNN Live Today

Cardinal Law Deposition Gets Under Way

Aired May 08, 2002 - 12:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston is testifying today about the sex scandal in the Boston Archdiocese. Law was called to a civil deposition in a case involving scores of alleged victims of the former Boston priest John Geoghan.

CNN's Jason Carroll is in Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cardinal Law's deposition is under way, taking place behind me at Suffolk Superior Court.

Cardinal Law arrived for his deposition just a few minutes before it was scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. this morning. The deposition is related to the civil suit involving convicted pedophile priest John Geoghan. The Archdiocese of Boston had reached a multimillion dollar settlement agreement with 86 of Geoghan's alleged victims in the civil case, but backed out of the agreement last Friday.

That prompted the attorney for the plaintiffs, Mitchell Garabedian, to push to have Cardinal Law's deposition immediately. Early this morning, Mitchell Garabedian talked about what he plans on getting out of this deposition.

MITCHELL GARABEDIAN, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED VICTIMS: I hope he is honest. I hope he isn't evasive. I hope he just gives us straightforward answers and come clean.

QUESTION: How extensive do you expect the questioning to be?

GARABEDIAN: Oh, I think this will go for days, with the court's permission.

QUESTION: What are you hoping to learn from from the cardinal today? What do you want to ask him?

GARABEDIAN: Oh, I want to ask him about his participation, his activity and his knowledge about Father Geoghan's sexual molestations and his activity with regard to the archdiocese and his policies involving sexual molestation.

CARROLL: One of the top questions that Garabedian wants answered is why Cardinal Law and other members of the clergy moved Geoghan from parish to parish even though that they knew that there were allegations of sexual abuse and why they continued to allow Geoghan to have access to children.

There are no reporters allowed in this deposition hearing. The court did allow one of Geoghan's alleged victims to stand in as a representative for all of the alleged victims in this civil suit. A transcript of the proceeding will be provided to reporters at the end of the day.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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