OAKLAND (CA)
Oakland Tribune
By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland has agreed to a $56.4 million settlement with 56 childhood sexual abuse survivors, capping three years of litigation and four months of intense negotiation.
This ranks among the largest settlements reached by U.S. dioceses in the abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in recent years.
The Oakland Diocese — serving half a million Catholics in Alameda and Contra Costa counties — will pay about $25.3 million itself, with the rest covered by its insurers, to end all existing sex-abuse lawsuits naming it as a defendant.
Bishop Allen Vigneron issued a statement expressing his "heartfelt hope that reaching this resolution will help victim-survivors move forward ever more securely along the path of healing."
He and all East Bay priests will do all they can to make it so, he added, renewing his apology to victims and his commitment to ensuring children's safety.