BOSTON (MA)
Boston.com
By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Writer | December 31, 2005
BOSTON --The Boston Archdiocese cannot afford to pay as much on average for the latest round of clergy sexual abuse claims as it did two years ago when it settled more than 550 claims.
The archdiocese has offered to settle 100 claims for between $5,000 to $200,000 per claim, depending on the severity of the abuse, for a total of $7.5 million, or an average of $75,000 per claimant, according to lawyers for both the plaintiffs and the archdiocese.
That's compared to an $85 million settlement for 554 people in 2003, or an average of $153,000 per claimant.
"The dollar amounts, while not as high as in the global settlement, reflect the present financial capability of the Archdiocese and recognize its deteriorated financial condition since the time of the last settlement," church officials said in a statement released Friday.