The Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Friday suspended its top lawyer, less than two weeks before a trial that could shine a spotlight on the role he and other church lawyers played in the handling of decades of child-sex-abuse allegations….
Coyne had been in-house counsel for the church for at least six years. Before that, he worked at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young L.L.P., the Philadelphia law firm that for years handled legal matters for the archdiocese.
(Archbishop) Chaput cut ties to Stradley Ronon last fall, hiring separate firms to represent the church in criminal and civil matters.
The grand jury report that led to endangerment and child-sex-abuse charges against four priests suggested Coyne was slow to turn over documents regarding one abuse allegation
Last month, attorneys for the lead defendant, former Secretary for Clergy Msgr. William J. Lynn, disclosed that Coyne waited until this year to turn over records he found in 2006 that suggested that Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua once ordered aides to shred a memo identifying 35 priests suspected of sexual misconduct with minors.
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