BishopAccountability.org
	Conclusion of Lawsuit Welcomed Altoona Mirror April 18, 2008 http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/506609.html After more than two decades, it's good to see the civil case involving the child sexual abuse by a former priest apparently reach its conclusion. The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown this month paid $579,000 in additional interest to a former Altoona man who claims by was sexually abused as a child by Father Francis Luddy. That would seem to be the final chapter in this long and sad legal fight. Michael Hutchison filed suit against the diocese, Luddy and St. Therese Parish in 1987, claiming that as a child, he had been molested by Luddy at St. Therese Catholic Church and its elementary school. Luddy denied molesting Michael but admitted to sexually abusing his brother, Mark. Mark was unable to sue because the statute of limitations had passed. In April 1994, a Blair County jury awarded Michael Hutchison $519,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages for the abuse he suffered. The diocese paid the compensatory damages years ago but appealed the legality of the punitive damages. The state Supreme Court upheld the punitive damage verdict in 2006. While the diocese agreed to pay the punitive damages after that decision, the legal wrangling then turned to the amount of interest owed on the verdict for the dozen years of appeals. This month, the state Commonwealth Court ruled that interest on the verdict is due from the time the initial jury made its finding until the end of appeals. To resolve the matter, the diocese paid the additional $579,000 in interest on top of the $2.2 million it already had paid Hutchison in damages and interest. We're glad to see the diocese decided to accept the court's ruling rather than appeal, which would have resulted in the case lingering even longer. We hope the conclusion of the case will help Hutchison and the diocese heal — as much as possible — the wounds of this long and painful ordeal.
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