SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
San Francisco Chronicle
Wyatt Buchanan, Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle Staff Writers
Saturday, June 11, 2005
The Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed Friday to pay $21.2 million to people who were molested by five clergymen, including one priest who helped draft the so-called "zero tolerance" policy toward sexual abuse by clerics.
The settlement is the largest in Northern California and the second- largest in the state. The archdiocese will pay $6.6 million, and the remainder will come from insurance companies, a spokesman for the archdiocese said.
The 15 people receiving the settlement -- 11 men and four women -- were the victims of sexual abuse from priests throughout the 1970s and include three who won a jury award from a San Francisco jury in April.
Archbishop William Levada said he hopes the settlement will lead to the resolution of the remaining 45 cases pending against the San Francisco archdiocese.
"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," Levada said in a prepared statement. He also expressed his "sincere apology for the pain (the victims) have endured."
Posted by kshaw at June 11, 2005 06:32 AM