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	Judge Orders Settlement Talks in San Diego Church Abuse Suits San Francisco Chronicle [San Diego CA] February 21, 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/21/state/n195106S19.DTL&hw=catholic&sn=002&sc=761 A judge overseeing settlement negotiations between the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and more than 140 plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse by priests ordered the two sides into his courtroom Thursday for a final attempt to reach a deal. Time is short for a breakthrough — the first trial is set to begin next week in San Diego Superior Court. "I cannot say whether a settlement is in the offing," said Andrea Leavitt, who is representing a male client whose case is already released for trial. "But if we're going to do the dance, this is the time." Rodrigo Valdivia, chancellor for the diocese, said "we hope the negotiations will be fruitful." Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr issued an order Wednesday for the two sides to appear in his courtroom for face-to-face talks. A similar 11th-hour negotiation round involving the Orange County diocese led to a $100 million settlement in 2005 between the church and plaintiffs claiming priestly abuse. San Diego Bishop Robert Brom told parishioners in a letter distributed last weekend with the regular weekly circular that the diocese is mulling bankruptcy if settlements cannot be reached with abuse victims before the trials begin. The diocese has retained an Arizona attorney who represented the Diocese of Tucson in its bankruptcy proceedings in 2004. If the San Diego diocese files for bankruptcy, it would become the fifth in the nation to seek protection because of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests. Brom, in his letter, wrote that 143 people had filed lawsuits against the diocese. The first San Diego trial is set to begin next Wednesday. Nicki Rister accuses a reverend of forcing her to have sex in his parish office in 1972 when she was 17. Three other trials are scheduled to follow, involving multiple victims and allegations that the diocese protected abusive priests by moving them from parish to parish. The San Diego diocese, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, has 98 churches, runs 50 schools and has nearly 1 million parishioners.
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