KENTUCKY
Cincinnati Post
By Paul A. Long
Post staff reporter
The Blue Ash attorney who administered the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's sexual abuse payments has been appointed to monitor the $85 million settlement with the Diocese of Covington, although lawyers on both sides said the designation is unwanted and counter-productive.
Matthew Garretson is unqualified for the appointment, diocese attorney Carrie Huff said in an affidavit filed in Boone Circuit Court.
Her counterpart for those who sued the diocese agreed with that assessment. In a separate affidavit, Robert Steinberg added that Garretson's involvement with the $3 million Cincinnati settlement is a red flag to his clients.
"The circumstances of the Cincinnati settlement, which many class members ... view as a further victimization of victims by requiring victims to release all their legal rights in return for payments that do not approximate the true value of their injuries ... raise further concerns," Steinberg said.