BOSTON (MA)
The New York Times
By PAM BELLUCK
Published: March 10, 2006
BOSTON, March 9 — A second group of plaintiffs who say they were abused by priests in Boston has reached a settlement with the archdiocese here, agreeing to allow an arbitrator to determine the monetary award they will receive.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and lawyers for the plaintiffs said all 88 plaintiffs who were offered the settlement in December had signed the agreement and would be awarded $5,000 to $200,000 in arbitration hearings to begin this month. The average award will be $75,000, the lawyers and the archdiocese said.
"This is an important first step in resolving pending claims of sexual abuse of children by priests of the Archdiocese of Boston," said Kelly Lynch, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese. "We're very pleased at the response the settlement offers generated."