A short history -- Statistics -- Legal issues -- Framing clergy sexual abuse as a problem of institutional failure -- Placing clergy sexual abuse on policy agendas -- Uncovering concealed information -- Assessing the results of clergy sexual abuse litigation -- The complementary policymaking role of tort litigation
Summary
"Stories of the tort system as an engine of social justice are rare. Holding Bishops Accountable tells one such story by revealing how pleadings, discovery documents, and depositions fueled media coverage of the scandal. Timothy Lytton shows how the litigation strategy of plaintiffs' lawyers gave rise to a widespread belief that the real problem was not the actions of individual priests but rather the church's massive institutional failure. The book documents how church and government policymakers responded to the problem of clergy sexual abuse only under the pressure of private lawsuits."--Jacket
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-268) and index
