· · ·
turning to page one
turning to page one
Spotlight · written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy · 2015
Scene 61 of 143 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two
The Boston Globe's Spotlight team pries open the Catholic Church's decades-long cover-up of child abuse — one sealed record, one silenced victim at a time.
Robby's Spotlight team operates comfortably inside its own routine, prospecting a modest police-corruption story under a departing editor's cover.
Baron's outsider question exposes what the paper has never done: investigate whether Cardinal Law knowingly protected an abusive priest.
The team sets aside its own project and enters unfamiliar territory: survivor networks, a hostile plaintiff's lawyer, and a legal fight to unseal church records.
Phil Saviano tells the team abuse this systemic isn't just physical, it's spiritual: 'if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.'
In the musty Globe basement, Robby, Mike and Matt discover the Church directories use euphemisms like 'sick leave' to mask priests pulled from parishes for abuse, confirming both Geoghan and Barrett's designations.
At the courthouse records room, Sacha finds no filed cases against Shanley despite MacLeish's known settlements, and tells Robby by phone something's not right.
Robby and Sacha confront MacLeish about the missing court records, and he begins to unravel, describing years of private, off-the-books settlements with the Church.
This scene
Ben sits with the gang.
BEN
So this was all under the table?
SACHA
There’s no paper trail at all. The
victim has to sign a confidentiality
agreement to get the settlement.
The lawyer takes his third and the
Church sweeps it under the rug.
MIKE
Jeez. It’s a freakin’ racket.
BEN
It’s more complicated than that.
MacLeish has got a duty to his
clients to get the best deal he can.
SACHA
Sure, but how many victims do you
represent and profit from before you
say something?
MIKE
Garabedian would say none. That’s
why he’s taking these cases to
court. Because he wants people to
know about this.
SACHA
I agree. And, legal ethics aside,
Ben, operating the way MacLeish has
all but guarantees the abuse stays
under wraps.
BEN
Yeah.
(then)
Did MacLeish confirm all of
Saviano’s priests?
ROBBY
No. He’s limited by the
confidentiality agreement.
SACHA
But he’s clearly settled cases
against a number of them. Phil’s
put me in touch with some of the
other victims, I’m pretty confident
all of his priests are going to
check out.
BEN
So it’s thirteen priests?
SACHA ROBBY
Yeah. Looks that way.
BEN (CONT’D)
Holy Shit. Okay. Keep going.
Off Ben --