Kentucky federal judge says local plaintiffs can proceed with suit against the Vatican

Last week, Judge Heyburn ruled that a federal lawsuit filed against the Vatican can proceed. While Judge Heyburn dismissed a portion of the claims, he allowed several of them to proceed. He also seems to indicate that just becuase the case would not be dismissed right now, he promises to revisit the issue at a later date should the evidence warrant it. Many legal experts doubt the case will survive--that being said, I doubt many of them ever thought it would get this far. The lawsuit was brought by William F. McMurry, the same lawyer who brought the local lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Louisville. I worked with Bill on these case from day one. I can tell you without reservation that he is a brilliant strategist and will work tirelessly. Neither the Vatican or the legal scholars can afford to underestimate him. hp