By Brian Joyce
WCAX
May 15, 2008
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8332670&nav=menu183_2
It took the jury about four hours to determine the Vermont Diocese would pay a record $8.7 million in damages to a former altar boy who was molested by Father Edward Paquette 30 years ago.
Two jurors who asked not to be identified, told Channel 3 they had no trouble agreeing the Diocese would be hit hard with big punitive damages.
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They told us the evidence proved Bishop John Marshall's disturbing, irresponsible behavior for covering up for hiring a known pedophile priest-- especially because Marshall showed a blatant disregard for protecting children in the diocese.
Equally troubling for the jurors was the failure of the diocese lawyers to show them any evidence of anything the diocese had done recently to show it could not happen again.
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"The verdict that came down this week is absolutely frightening. It is heart breaking," says Kevin Scully.
Former Burlington Police Chief Kevin Scully runs the diocese child protection program created 6 years ago in the wake of the national scandals.
Scully never told the jury about his program, because diocese lawyers say the judge had ruled they couldn't.
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The diocese is appealing the verdict, but for now they are trying to figure how they could pay the record award.
"Yeah, it's going to be difficult, but this Catholic Church of Vermont will be viable, it will be apparent," says Scully.
Scully offered no specifics, but the church has many assets, including valuable property like the diocese headquarters on the Burlington lakeshore.
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The Catholic Church hopes that its insurance company will pay some of the judgment, but that company has so far refused. According to the church, it's because the diocese can't find its old insurance policy. So the diocese is suing its insurance carrier in federal court. There's no indication when a judgment may be made in that case, or if it wins, how much the diocese could expect from the insurance carrier.
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There's no chance the diocese will get any help from the Vatican. Church officials here say that they really don't send any diocesan funds to Rome and the Vatican is just another diocese, entirely separate, and no money will come from Rome to help any of the American dioceses with priest abuse settlement.
Related Story:
Former Altar Boy Awarded $8.7 Million
Contact: joyce@wcax.com
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