Fr. Reed subpoenaed for lawsuit deposition
Fr. Joseph Reed has been subpoenaed for deposition testimony by the plaintiff’s attorneys in a lawsuit against the Diocese of Knoxville.
Dear Friends,
Father Joseph Reed, a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville, has been subpoenaed for a deposition by the plaintiff’s attorneys in John Doe (pseudonym) v. Catholic Diocese of Knoxville and Richard F. Stika (Case No. C-22-014622, Knox County Circuit Court). The deposition will take place in Knoxville on September 23, 2025. The subpoena instructs Fr. Reed to bring with him “all electronic or physical documents, recordings, or photographs that refer or relate to the Plaintiff in this action or to Wojciech Sobczuk.”
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The plaintiff in this lawsuit, John Doe, alleges that in 2019, Wojciech Sobczuk—a seminarian for the Diocese—raped him. At the time of the alleged rape, Doe was also an employee of the Diocese.
As former Vocation Director for the Diocese of Knoxville, Fr. Reed is likely being called to testify about his evaluation of Sobczuk and how that evaluation was received by the Diocese. According to the lawsuit, Fr. Reed was not in favor of accepting Sobczuk as a seminarian:
[Bishop] Stika accepted Sobczuk as a seminarian notwithstanding that he did not receive the recommendation of the Diocese’s Vocation Office or Vocation Director. On information and belief, Sobczuk did not receive the recommendation of either, because they believed he was not fit to become a priest, as he would be unlikely to live a celibate life and posed a danger of sexually harassing and sexually assaulting others (Doe v. DoK & Stika, § 62-63).
Bp. Richard Stika was bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville from 2009-2023. He resigned on June 27, 2023, citing health reasons. On March 8, 2025, Bp. Stika sent me a text message stating:
I support fully Fr. Joe. He never told me not to accept Wojtek. I did not include him as we had two previous seminarians that he recommended that I dismissed. (Note: “Wojtek” is a nickname for Wojciech.)
The information conveyed in a deposition is not normally made public unless it is used to justify an official request to the court.
Both the plaintiff and defendants in this lawsuit have agreed to a schedule that anticipates a trial in 2027.
God bless us everyone,
Jennifer Hay
Knoxville Nobility
865.804.9721
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