Lawsuit seeking church abuse records filed in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Two survivors of alleged child sexual abuse in the Philadelphia Archdiocese are suing for the release of church records from all of Pennsylvania's dioceses.

The lawsuit filed in Philadelphia Thursday names the state's Roman Catholic dioceses and seeks the release of records related to allegations of child sexual abuse and a list of all priests accused and their work histories.

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The lawsuit filed by lawyer Jeff Anderson is one of several his firm has filed in recent months seeking church records. He has filed similar lawsuits in New York, California and Illinois and against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Anderson's 2013 lawsuit in Minnesota resulted in the release of thousands of pages of records. Messages were left Friday with the Pennsylvania dioceses. Several say they do not comment on pending litigation.

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