LOS ANGELES (CA)
North County Times
By: LINDA DEUTSCH - Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- With the possibility of civil trials looming in the new year, the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese is deep in talks with lawyers for some 45 clergy sexual abuse victims seeking to settle the cases before they reach court, lawyers said Friday.
"The talks are ongoing," said J. Michael Hennigan, who represents the archdiocese and its leader, Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney. "There's never been a time when they stopped."
Responding to a Los Angeles Times report that settlements may be imminent, Hennigan said, "We're closer than we were. But there are a lot of moving pieces here."