Opinion ID: 2180233
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Manner in Which the Information Came into the Possession of the Attorney General

Text: [¶ 20] The Attorney General came into possession of the information concerning the deceased priests from three sources: (1) reports made by the Diocese based on information it received from current or former church members; (2) reports made by a county prosecuting attorney based on information she received from members of the public; and (3) reports the Attorney General received directly from members of the public. As the Superior Court observed, none of the reports were made under the protection of the confessional: [T]o the extent that the alleged victims or others working on their behalf have stepped forward and lodged their complaints, their expectation of continued privacy would be diminished to the extent that the investigation being sought would require disclosure. [¶ 21] The privacy interests reposed in the records are diminished to the extent the information was voluntarily reported to church and public authorities with the expectation that it would be used to investigate possible wrongdoing. Moreover, the Attorney General does not claim that any of the individuals who reported the information to authorities did so under circumstances where there was an express or implied understanding that their identity or the identity of others named in the records would remain confidential. See Keys v. United States Dep't of Justice, 830 F.2d 337, 345 (D.C.Cir.1987). Accordingly, the manner in which the information was reported dissipated the privacy interests. [8]