Priests' Personnel Files Still Under Wraps

California: Three years after Los Angeles Archdiocese agreed to the largest priest abuse settlement in U.S. history, a key element of that agreement — public release of accused priests' personnel files — remains unfulfilled with no clear outlook on when the documents may be disclosed.

The lawyer who represents priests accused of abuse has insisted all along that any document involving their personnel records is shielded by state and federal privacy laws and has fought release at each step. And the archdiocese has shown little interest in speeding the process.

"It's long, tedious job with lots of meticulous tasks," said J. Michael Hennigan, an attorney representing the archdiocese. "We move forward as fast as we move forward."