Suffer the little children...
San Diego Diocese To Pay $198 Million To Settle Sex Abuse Claims
SAN DIEGO -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said Friday that it agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy, the second-largest payment since the abuse scandal erupted in 2002.The agreement came after two days of intense talks before a federal magistrate judge between the diocese, attorneys and some alleged victims.It caps more than four years of negotiations in state and federal courts and comes six months after the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection just hours before the first of 42 lawsuits alleging sex abuse was scheduled for trial.
The diocese has been under pressure to reach a settlement. It sought to shield its assets by declaring bankruptcy, but a judge recently threatened to dismiss the diocese's case if an agreement with sex abuse plaintiffs was not struck by Tuesday.
"The diocese has always been committed to resolving this litigation in a way that fairly compensates these victims of abuse and would still preserve the ongoing ministries and programs of the church," Bishop Robert Brom said in a press release. "We pray that this settlement will bring some closure and healing to the years of suffering experienced by these victims.
"The settlement averages to about $1.4 million per claimant.
The San Diego diocese had initially offered about $95 million to settle the claims as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan. Victims had sought about $200 million.
Plaintiffs expressed relief that a settlement was reached and anger that it took so long.
"We shouldn't have had to go through all this," said Betty Schneider, 62, of Temecula, told reporters in front of the federal courthouse. She claimed she was molested as a 10-year-old member of her church choir."I have grandkids the same age I was and I hope all this helps kids to be protected better than we were protected," she said.Michael Bang of Atlanta said no settlement could be considered fair.
"They knew all along that I'd been molested, so to put me through this is unconscionable," he said.In February, the diocese filed for bankruptcy protection to forestall the first civil trial in San Diego Superior Court alleging sex abuse.
The Los Angeles Archdiocese settled 508 cases for $660 million in July, two days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in the first of 15 trials involving 172 abuse claimants.
The Diocese of Orange agreed to settle 90 claims for $100 million in 2004 after a judge promised to set trial dates and begin the discovery process if settlement talks collapsed. Bishop Tod D. Brown later said he couldn't risk a trial in a state where a jury once awarded $30 million to two people who claimed they were sexually abused by clergy.
With nearly 1 million Catholics and holdings throughout San Diego County, the diocese is by far the largest and wealthiest of the five U.S. dioceses to have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse.
Dioceses in Spokane, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Tucson, Ariz., have already emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Davenport, Iowa, diocese, which faces claims from more than 150 people, is still in proceedings.
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Disgusting predators... one of the priests from the Davenport scandal actually used to abuse kids in my hometown of Geneseo as well.
SAN DIEGO -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said Friday that it agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy, the second-largest payment since the abuse scandal erupted in 2002.The agreement came after two days of intense talks before a federal magistrate judge between the diocese, attorneys and some alleged victims.It caps more than four years of negotiations in state and federal courts and comes six months after the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection just hours before the first of 42 lawsuits alleging sex abuse was scheduled for trial.
The diocese has been under pressure to reach a settlement. It sought to shield its assets by declaring bankruptcy, but a judge recently threatened to dismiss the diocese's case if an agreement with sex abuse plaintiffs was not struck by Tuesday.
"The diocese has always been committed to resolving this litigation in a way that fairly compensates these victims of abuse and would still preserve the ongoing ministries and programs of the church," Bishop Robert Brom said in a press release. "We pray that this settlement will bring some closure and healing to the years of suffering experienced by these victims.
"The settlement averages to about $1.4 million per claimant.
The San Diego diocese had initially offered about $95 million to settle the claims as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan. Victims had sought about $200 million.
Plaintiffs expressed relief that a settlement was reached and anger that it took so long.
"We shouldn't have had to go through all this," said Betty Schneider, 62, of Temecula, told reporters in front of the federal courthouse. She claimed she was molested as a 10-year-old member of her church choir."I have grandkids the same age I was and I hope all this helps kids to be protected better than we were protected," she said.Michael Bang of Atlanta said no settlement could be considered fair.
"They knew all along that I'd been molested, so to put me through this is unconscionable," he said.In February, the diocese filed for bankruptcy protection to forestall the first civil trial in San Diego Superior Court alleging sex abuse.
The Los Angeles Archdiocese settled 508 cases for $660 million in July, two days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in the first of 15 trials involving 172 abuse claimants.
The Diocese of Orange agreed to settle 90 claims for $100 million in 2004 after a judge promised to set trial dates and begin the discovery process if settlement talks collapsed. Bishop Tod D. Brown later said he couldn't risk a trial in a state where a jury once awarded $30 million to two people who claimed they were sexually abused by clergy.
With nearly 1 million Catholics and holdings throughout San Diego County, the diocese is by far the largest and wealthiest of the five U.S. dioceses to have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse.
Dioceses in Spokane, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Tucson, Ariz., have already emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Davenport, Iowa, diocese, which faces claims from more than 150 people, is still in proceedings.
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Disgusting predators... one of the priests from the Davenport scandal actually used to abuse kids in my hometown of Geneseo as well.