http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/03/church.abuse.ap/index.html
Nation's largest settlement for child molestation cases
Friday, June 3, 2005 Posted: 10:14 PM EDT (0214 GMT)
COVINGTON, Kentucky (AP) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington
agreed Friday to set up a $120 million fund to compensate hundreds of
victims of child-molesting priests and other employees.
It would be the nation's biggest settlement in the scandal that has
staggered the church.
The settlement, which is subject to approval by a Kentucky judge, would
bring to a close a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of victims
abused over a 50-year period. It accuses the diocese of a cover-up of
sexual abuse by priests and others during that time.
"After personally meeting with more than 70 victims, I am painfully
aware that no amount of money can compensate for the harm these victims
suffered as innocent children," Covington Bishop Roger Foys said in a
statement.
"Nevertheless, I pray that this settlement will bring some measure of
peace and healing to victims and their loved ones."
Victims will be grouped into four categories based on the severity of
abuse, and compensation will range from $5,000 to $450,000 per person
before attorney fees are deducted.
A portion will be set aside to provide counseling, the statement said.
Any money not used for claims or other expenses would be returned to
the diocese, it said.
According to the statement, the class of victims "encompasses all
persons, known and unknown, who were abused during the 50-year class
period." Lawyers for plaintiffs and the diocese have said that number
would be in the hundreds. It could be months before an exact number is
known, however, the lawyers have said.
"The additional anxiety and stress that would have occurred to the
victims had there been a trial has been eliminated," said Stan Chesley,
the plaintiffs' chief attorney.
Real estate, investments and insurance
A spokesman for the diocese would not comment on how the diocese could
afford the settlement -- or why the amount was so much larger than
agreements reached in other abuse settlements. "Both parties have
agreed not to comment on the details of the settlement at this time,"
said spokesman Tim Fitzgerald.
Last year, the Orange County, California Diocese agreed to a settlement
that participants said would pay $100 million to 87 victims. In 2003
the Boston Archdiocese, where the scandal first erupted, settled with
552 victims for $85 million.
Covington -- a suburb of Cincinnati, which is across the Ohio River --
is far smaller than Boston, the nation's fourth-largest diocese with
about 2.1 million parishioners. The Covington Diocese spans 14 counties
and has 89,000 parishioners. The lawsuit also covers some Kentucky
counties that were part of the Covington Diocese until 1988, when a new
diocese in Lexington formed.
In a statement the diocese and plaintiffs' attorneys said $40 million
of the settlement fund would come from a combination of church real
estate and investments, and $80 million would come from insurance.
Sue Archibald, head of the clergy-abuse victims advocacy group The
Linkup, called the settlement fair and commended the diocese for its
efforts.
"It's difficult to put a dollar figure on damages that can't be valued,
but the size of the settlement signifies how serious the abuse and its
effects were," Archibald said. "I hope the settlement enables the
survivors to move forward with their healing."
In addition to the dioceses that have reached major settlements, three
-- in Tucson, Arizona; Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington --
have filed bankruptcy claims because of abuse allegations.
With the lawsuit pending, the Covington Diocese settled other claims,
paying $4 million from its savings and $6.5 million from insurance over
the last 18 months to resolve 56 sex abuse claims. It recently said it
would move its offices to a medical center to cut costs and earlier
announced some layoffs.
"I don't know that the money is ever a remedy for what was taken from
us," said Kay Montgomery of Lexington, central Kentucky director of
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. She settled separately
with the Covington diocese and is not part of the new settlement.
"It doesn't bring back the lost innocence for the victims, and it
certainly will not bring the innocent life back to them," she said.
--------------
Regards,
Carlos
