BishopAccountability.org
	Diocese Boards Approve Priest Abuse Settlement By Kevin Murphy Kansas City Star August 22, 2008 http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/761540.html Two boards of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph have approved a $10 million settlement with 47 plaintiffs in sexual abuse lawsuits against priests. The Board of Consulters and the Diocese Finance Council affirmed the agreement Thursday evening, said Rebecca Summers, spokeswoman for the diocese. Bishop Robert W. Finn said Wednesday he would sign the agreement once the two boards affirmed it. Twelve priests were accused in lawsuits of abusing the plaintiffs as children, mostly between the 1950s and early 1980s. The suits were filed beginning in 2002 in Jackson County. An arbiter will determine how much each plaintiff will receive, after about 40 percent is taken out for legal fees. In a press conference Wednesday, Finn apologized for the priests' actions and said the diocese would take new steps to prevent any future abuse. Most of the priests have either left the priesthood or were stripped of church-related duties years ago. None of them have admitted abuses publicly and some have denied them. The priests accused in the lawsuits were retired Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart, John Tulipana, Thomas J. Ward, Earl Johnson, Stephen Wise, Francis E. McGlynn, Hugh F. Monahan, John C. Baskett, Thomas J. O'Brien, Thomas J. Reardon, James Lawbaugh and Sylvester Hoppe. Contact: kmurphy@kcstar.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.