July 01, 2005

Suspended Broward priest accused of abuse rejects settlement with 2 women

MIAMI (FL)
Sun-Sentinel

By Madeline Baró Diaz
Miami Bureau
Posted July 1 2005

MIAMI · A suspended Broward County priest that two former parishioners accused of sexual abuse refuses to participate in settlements the Archdiocese of Miami reached with his accusers.

Two women sued the Rev. Jan Malicki, a former associate pastor at St. David Catholic Church in Davie, in 1998, accusing him of sexual misconduct. The church eventually cleared Malicki of charges he violated canon law, and the Broward State Attorney's Office never brought criminal charges against him.

On Thursday, attorneys for the women confirmed that the archdiocese reached a settlement with one of the women and is finalizing a settlement with the second woman.

No one involved in the case divulged the exact amount of the payout, but the women's attorneys say it is the most any victim has received in a sexual abuse case against the Catholic Church in Florida.

"It says to us that the church recognized the validity of our clients' claims and took them very seriously," said William J. Snihur, one of the attorneys for the women.

Posted by kshaw at July 1, 2005 07:24 AM