Georgina Lavery was named in the lawsuit in which the Diocese asked the court to prohibit her from sharing the information, demanded she destroy or return copies of the records and asked for a temporary restraining order. The lawsuit was filed Sept. 29; Lavery resigned Sept. 26, according to court records.
The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, with a notice of dismissal filed on May 12 by Mann Morrow, PLLC and Butt Thornton and Baehr PC, attorneys for the Diocese.
A request for comment from Carrillo Law Firm, which is representing Lavery, went unanswered.
In the lawsuit, the Diocese demanded that Lavery "identify the persons Defendant shared Plaintiff's financial information with." A series of depositions was taken during the proceedings, from which Bishop Peter Baldacchino said the Diocese discovered the alleged involvement of Fr. Christopher Williams. The civil lawsuit filed by the Diocese made no mention of Williams.
Baldacchino announced in a letter dated May 8 to parishioners of Basilica of San Albino, William's parish in Mesilla, that the priest had been suspended from his duties. The letter alleged that he had been party to the removal of 60,000 financial records belonging to the Diocese. It was unclear from the court filings what, if any role, Williams had in the theft.
The Sun-News was unable to reach Williams regarding the allegations against him.
Katy Morrow, attorney for the Diocese of Las Cruces, said in a May 12 email to the Sun-News that the Diocese of Las Cruces would not comment to the Sun-News on the matter as there was an ongoing investigation and litigation.
On May 21, Vice-Chancellor for Communications and Legal Affairs for the Diocese of Las Cruces Deacon Jim Winder, said the Diocese dismissed the lawsuit because it now believes the data is "safe from distribution."
"Our goal was to protect the data that was stolen from the Diocese. Everything possible has been accomplished to protect the data and this particular lawsuit is no longer needed. However, as we continue the investigation into the theft, we may bring additional lawsuits against those we believe are responsible," Winder said in an emailed response to the Sun-News.
Since the dismissal of the civil lawsuit, Williams has not returned to his duties at San Albino. His brother, the Rev. Michael Williams, was appointed by Bishop Baldacchino to fill in during his absence.
"Fr. Christopher Williams is the subject of ongoing civil and canonical investigations into his involvement in this matter. His disposition and any future assignment are contingent on the findings of the investigations," Winder said.
Baldacchino's letter indicated the Diocese had reported the matter to local law enforcement.
Dan Trujillo, public information officer for the Las Cruces Police Department, said that the department received a complaint in late 2025 from the Diocese of Las Cruces related to the alleged theft of the records.
"We're looking into it," Trujillo said.
No charges were filed against Christopher Williams or Lavery.
"At this time the diocese is continuing its investigation and determining what future steps to take including legal action against individuals involved in the theft. The decision of whether these steps are along criminal, civil or canonical avenues will be determined by the facts of the case," Winder said.
The Diocese declined to elaborate on what type of records it alleged were taken, and whether those records contained personal information of parishioners within the Diocese of Las Cruces.
Division in Diocese linked to the Neocatechumenal Way
Christopher William's suspension appears to be linked to a deeper division in the Diocese of Las Cruces related to the integration of the Neocatechumenal Way.
NWC is a recognized formation and evangelization program within the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1964 in Madrid, Spain and The National Catholic Register estimated more than 1 million people follow the Neocatechumenal Way worldwide. Contemporarily the NCW is considered a "Christian initiation of adults, fostering new missionary and vocational modalities such as families in mission and the formation of the diocesan missionary seminaries, the Redemptoris Mater."
Baldacchino said in his letter that Williams had received the records by the "leader of the Voice of the Laity." Lavery was not named as the "leader" in the civil lawsuit filings.
Voice of the Laity, an informal group of members of parishes within the Diocese of Las Cruces, has been vocal in its concerns about the Neocatechumenal Way (NCW).
Members of the Voice of Laity told the Sun-News its concerns include the growing influence of NCW within the Diocese, a lack of transparency about its operations within the parishes of the Diocese and within local seminaries, and uncertainty over how diocesan finances and assets are being used.
The civil suit against Lavery made no mention of the Neocatechumenal Way or Voices of the Laity, however, the list of those served with notices of deposition are known members of Voices of the Laity.