Oct 10, 2007 / 08:49 am
Yesterday afternoon witnessed the first time that a judge began criminal contempt-of-court proceedings against a U.S. Catholic bishop. The hearing against Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange County could result in a sentence ranging from a verbal warning to jail time.
On Tuesday, Bishop Brown waived his arraignment for violating a court order, which is the equivalent of him entering a plea of not guilty.
The bishop caused Judge Gail Andler to open a contempt of court hearing by sending Monsignor John Urell out of the country to receive medical treatment, before he had finished completing his testimony in a sexual abuse lawsuit.
The attorneys of the plaintiff in the sexual abuse case asserted that Bishop Brown sent Msgr. Urell, who was responsible for handling diocesan sexual abuse allegations, to Canada for psychological treatment before he could conclude his deposition.