Bishop Apologizes to Women Who Received $6.68 Million, My Fox Los Angeles, October 8, 2007

Bishop Apologizes to Women Who Received $6.68 Million

My Fox Los Angeles
October 8, 2007

http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4582786&version=6&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Santa Ana — The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange offered a personal apology today to four women sharing a $6.68 million child sexual abuse settlement and said payment won't affect services to parishes.

Bishop Tod Brown made the comments after appearing before Orange County Superior Court Judge Gail Andler to respond to accusations by plaintiff lawyers that he and others did everything they could to deter compensation for the women — with Brown going so far as sending Monsignor John Urell out of the country while he was still giving a deposition — before the settlement was reached last week.

Attorneys for the diocese and the women each accused the other side of clouding the truth in opening statements this morning, and Andler set a Dec. 3 hearing to hear evidence.

These women want a bishop to be held in contempt of court.

Outside the courtroom, Brown reiterated that he took action required by the anxiety-related illness of Urell. He was flanked by diocese attorney Peter Callahan, who said there was never any order involving Urell to violate; that Urell handled only abuse accusations involving clergy — not lay employees who were the subject of the women's accusations; and that the issue was used "as another ticket to beat up the bishop."

With plaintiffs Christina Ruiz and Sarah Gray standing nearby, Brown faced both women and said, "To both of you and the other (two) victims, all I can do is repeat my personal apology ... I'm just very, very sorry it happened."

Asked where the money will come from, Brown said, "I don't know exactly."

"I think it will involve our insurance, money from the perpetrators and from the diocese" but will not affect services to the parishes, he said. "I don't anticipate any problems in continuing our services."

During her opening statements on the issue of contempt, plaintiff attorney Venus Soltan charged that the bishop knew "Urell had to go back and give testimony. He knew the court ordered that (Urell) had to answer (questions) in the first place and had to show up, and he decided to put the man on the airplane and send him ... to Canada, outside our subpoena power."

"We have a myriad of orders that the bishop violated," she said.

The settlement in the four cases was reached a week before trial was set to begin on accusations by Ruiz, who says she was 15 years old when molested by assistant basketball coach Jeffrey Andrade at Mater Dei High School.

Soltan said Urell was Brown's "right-hand man" in looking into sexual abuse allegations, but before he could be fully questioned, he broke down and was sent to Southdown Institute. Urell entered the facility on Sept. 6, according to his attorney, Patrick Hennessey.

Soltan said outside the courtroom that she intends to call Urell for the contempt hearing in December.

She called the proceedings a "quasi" criminal hearing and said sanctions, if Brown is found in contempt, could include monetary damages and even incarceration.

Hennessey recently issued a statement stressing that Urell has never been the subject of sexual abuse accusations.

"Monsignor Urell has never sexually abused anyone, and he has never been accused of sexually abusing anyone," Hennessey's statement said.

"He suffers from an acute anxiety disorder caused by the strain of his prior responsibility for responding to complaints of sexual abuse by others," Hennessey said. "His treatment at Southdown is specifically related to acute anxiety. In no way is his stay related to pedophilia, and for anyone to imply such is being irresponsible and untruthful."

The diocese announced the settlement of the lawsuits on Friday.