Diocese of San José Receives Administrative Subpoena 
 
On December 9, the Diocese of San José, along with five other dioceses in California, received administrative subpoenas from the California Attorney General’s office requesting documents related to the mandatory reporting of allegations of sexual misconduct with minors by clergy and laypersons within the Diocese from 1996 to the present.  
Before receiving the subpoena, the Diocese provided the Attorney General with more than a thousand documents that did not affect the privacy rights of victims/survivors or disregard state and federal labor laws regarding personnel files and volunteer records. These documents were provided in response to the statewide administrative review initiated by the Attorney General in May 2019.
We, the Diocese of San José, believe that protecting all children, youth, and vulnerable adults and bringing about justice, reconciliation, and healing to all victims/survivors is our sacred duty. We have an important responsibility to protect the privacy and legal rights of victims/survivors, lay employees, lay volunteers, and clergy.  
In this sense, a subpoena may be good and preferable to an informal request for documents without legal protection. It supports our shared goal of ensuring that the safeguards in place for our children are working as they should while protecting the privacy rights of victims/survivors and complying with state and federal labor laws.
The Diocese of San José provides ongoing comprehensive services and care to victims/survivors of sexual abuse and encourage anyone who has not previously come forward to do so, first, by contacting the local authorities: police department or sheriff’s office; and second, by making a report to our Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, toll-free at (844) 372-1691 or online via a third-party site,  opcva.ethicspoint.com. 
The Diocese will not be complacent. We pledge to continue working tirelessly to provide safe and nurturing environments for all and fostering a path of healing and reconciliation for those who have suffered abuse.
 
Learn more about what the Diocese of San José has done and is doing in the wake of the clergy abuse scandal by visiting,  https://www.dsj.org/safe-environment/