Q&A Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Judge Approves Settlement of Abuse Claims, Associated Press, carried in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 17, 2007

Q&A Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Judge Approves Settlement of Abuse Claims

Associated Press, carried in Fort Worth Star-Telegram
July 17, 2007

http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/171358.html

Los Angeles — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has reached a $660 million settlement with more than 500 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, by far the largest settlement since the scandal emerged in Boston in 2002.

The deal, approved Monday by a California judge, has pushed the price of settlements beyond $2 billion nationwide.

In the Los Angeles deal — easily the largest in the crisis — the archdiocese will pay $250 million, insurers $227 million and religious orders $60 million.

Mary Grant, regional director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, outside a Los Angeles courtroom Monday with a photo of herself at age 12.
Photo by Damian Dovarganes

The remaining $123 million will come from litigation with religious orders that did not participate in the deal, with the archdiocese guaranteeing resolution of those 80 to 100 cases within five years.

Questions and answers about the settlement:

How much money will the plaintiffs get?

The settlement is for $660 million, but how much people get will depend on how badly and how long they were abused. Also, lawyers for the plaintiffs will take 33 percent to 40 percent of the payout — $218 million to $264 million.

When will the plaintiffs get their money?

Dec. 1 at the latest, according to the agreement.

How will the archdiocese pay for the settlement?

Cardinal Roger Mahony says the archdiocese will have to sell some of its property, dip into its investment portfolio and borrow money. Parish churches and schools will not be sold, however.

Why did the archdiocese face so many claims?

In 2002, California legislators rolled back the statute of limitations on sexual abuse for one year. That allowed hundreds of alleged sexual abuse victims to file lawsuits, even though they could not pursue criminal cases. Other states did not pass such a law, so the number of cases in California was much larger than in other states — nearly 1,000 claims statewide, including more than 500 in Los Angeles.

What else was in the final settlement?

It calls for the archdiocese to publicly release priests' confidential personnel files, which could show how much church leaders knew about abusive priests and when they knew it. A judge must review each file before it is released, however, and attorneys for priests who are still living may be able to get the files sealed because they contain private medical and psychological evaluations. Attorneys for the plaintiffs say that if the documents do become public, they will show an attempt to cover up abuse and shuffle troubled priests between parishes.