A judge has ordered that 18 pending priest sex abuse cases against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vermont be tried together.
Vermont Superior Court Judge Helen Toor ruled Monday that the cases involving alleged abuse by defrocked Roman Catholic priest Edward Paquette would be combined to save time.
The Burlington Free Press says a majority of the cases involve former altar boys at Christ the King Church in Burlington who say they were molested by Paquette more than 30 years ago.