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	Record 660 Mln Dlr Deal in LA Clergy Abuse Cases: Lawyers Raw Story [Los Angeles CA] July 15, 2007 http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Record_660_mln_dlr_deal_in_LA_clerg_07152007.html The Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles will pay a record 660 million dollar settlement to more than 500 victims of sexual abuse by clergy, lawyers involved with the case said Sunday. A statement announcing the deal between lawyers representing 508 victims and the Los Angeles archdiocese was expected later Sunday, heading off a potentially explosive court case due to open Monday. "Some of the victims have waited more than five decades for a chance at reconciliation and resolution," said Ray Boucher, the lead attorney for victims in the case. "This is a down payment on that debt long overdue." Attorneys for both sides will appear in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to file the settlement, which must be approved by a judge, Boucher said. "It's been a long, hard slog," church attorney J. Michael Hennigan told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm delighted to see it's come to a conclusion." The 660-million-dollar deal, which covers cases dating as far back as the 1940s, will be the largest settlement by any Roman Catholic archdiocese to sex abuse victims in the United States. Abuse cases across the country have cost Roman Catholic churches around 2.1 billion dollars to date. Several priests have been convicted and at least four dioceses have gone bankrupt paying civil penalties. The Los Angeles diocese is expected to sell off property to pay for the settlement. The Times reported earlier this year that the diocese, America's largest, had real estate holdings of around four billion dollars. The church had already settled 46 cases in December for 60 million dollars. John Manly, a lawyer who represented around 50 victims who now stand to receive payouts of around 1.2 to 1.3 million dollars, told AFP the archdiocese had settled to avoid the embarrassment of a court case. Manly said the release of internal documents as part of the settlement would raise questions over the leadership of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony. "I think when people see the documents and see what he knew and what he did they will be stunned," Manly told AFP. Victims accuse Mahony of allegedly covering up evidence of child molestation by transferring priests to other churches and for trying to keep the abuse reports secret. "Cardinal Mahony paying out money is great, but where is the accountability from the hierarchy of the church?" Manly said. "They will continue their lives as normal; the victims still have to deal with a lifetime of problems." Manly questioned why Mahony had not been held to account. "If what transpired under his leadership was bad enough to pay a half billion dollars, why is he still walking free, and why hasn't the district attorney taken action against him?" Manly said. The abuse cases also highlighted a failing of the justice authorities, Manly added. "I hope this causes the power structure -- Los Angeles law enforcement, the courts, the people in power -- to look at what happened and ask how, in the midst of all this stuff for 50 years, only three priests were convicted," he said. "By any standard that tells you law enforcement was turning a blind eye to this." Barbara Blaine, the leader of nationwide victims support group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), meanwhile called the settlement "wonderful news for all the victims." She praised the "brave victims, compassionate lawmakers and victims' attorneys, who took hard, uncertain cases and overcame seemingly endless hardball tactics by bishops" to win the case. Blaine said she believed the church had settled not out of compassion, but to avoid disclosing "under oath, in open court, how much the church's corporate officials knew about and how little they did about pedophile priests, nuns, brothers and seminarians." Blaine said she hoped the church documents detailing the abuse cases would expose the truth. "No amount of money can give the victims back their lost innocence and stolen childhoods, but hopefully this will put some closure on very painful part of their lives," she said. The Los Angeles settlement dwarfs figures from other cases. The previous biggest payout was in Boston, where victims accepted a deal worth 157 million dollars.
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