SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
The Desert Sun
The Associated Press
June 11, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO - The Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed Friday to settle 15 pending lawsuits for $21.2 million involving allegations of sexual abuse by priests under its jurisdiction, according to a statement from the church.
Under the settlement, which was brokered by a retired judge who has been mediating 60 separate cases against the San Francisco archdiocese, the archdiocese will pay out $6.6 million, and the rest of the money will come from its insurers. Several of those original 60 cases have already gone to trial.
The 15 cases represent about one-quarter of the remaining priest abuse lawsuits naming the San Francisco archdiocese as a primary defendant - and 10 of them involve allegations against one former San Jose priest, the late Rev. Joseph Pritchard.
"During the course of the recent trials and settlement discussions, we have heard the victims' anger and grief over the impact that the abuse has had on their lives and the lives of their families and friends," said San Francisco Archbishop William Levada. "It is our hope that the settlement of these cases will facilitate the process of healing for these victims and also set the stage for a global settlement of the remaining cases."