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The lawsuit, filed in December 2016, also names the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Kamloops as a defendant, alleging that Exner, despite being aware of a pattern of alleged sexual misconduct involving Molon, was negligent and failed to adequately protect her and other parishioners.

Not convinced the church has turned over all relevant records, Anderson filed court papers last month suggesting that a “secret archive” of historical documents concerning Molon might exist in the Kamloops diocese.

“Ms. Anderson’s reasonable concern … is that the diocese has not made reasonable efforts to identify and locate all relevant documents. Some of the puzzle pieces are missing,” Sandra Kovacs, Anderson’s lawyer, told the Post.

That concern has been amplified in recent weeks, she said, because another family has come forward with historical allegations against Molon.

Photo by Chad Hipolito for the National Post

Secret archives have been shown to exist at other dioceses. A sweeping grand jury investigation last year in Pennsylvania uncovered “credible allegations against over three hundred predator priests” and over 1,000 child victims. The grand jury report said a pattern was detected across several dioceses: “Abuse complaints were kept locked up in a ‘secret archive.’”

One option that Kovacs had considered to get at any missing documents was to apply to the courts for a so-called Anton Piller order — something akin to a civil search warrant — that would allow an independent third-party to search the Kamloops diocese offices. But such orders are difficult to get and considered rare in personal-injury cases. Kovacs says she has decided, for now, to adjourn a hearing that was set for Monday to hear her application so she can gather more information.