Responding to requests from the Roman Catholic Church, state court officials have decided that a single judge -- probably one based in San Francisco -- will oversee lawsuits filed by more than 100 people who say they were abused by priests in various dioceses in Northern California.
The decision affects claims filed in county courts from Monterey to Santa Rosa, including San Jose, but it does not mean they all would be combined for one trial. Attorneys said the coordinating judge will rule on questions about scheduling and evidence, but would probably send individual cases back to their home counties for trial.
``Somebody has to be the traffic cop,'' said Stephen McFeely, who represents the Diocese of Oakland.
Church attorneys had argued that coordinating the cases would be the most efficient way to apply consistent standards to all claims. The move was opposed by lawyers for the alleged victims, who said it would delay many cases that were already well on their way to settlement.
After a hearing earlier this month, a judge sided with the church. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles McCoy had been appointed by the state Judicial Council to decide the question. McCoy issued his written decision Monday, saying the lawsuits have many complicated legal issues in common, including questions of privacy and separation of church and state.
Though church attorneys had proposed assigning the cases to a judge in Santa Clara County, McCoy said they should go to San Francisco, where more cases have been filed. California Chief Justice Ronald George will select a judge for the assignment.