By Christine Kim
KTUU
November 24, 2009
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11569145
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — After years of lawsuits, the federal bankruptcy court announced the Fairbanks Catholic Diocese has agreed to a settlement.
This comes after hundreds of people claim they were sexually assaulted by Catholic employees.
The Diocese has agreed to pay $9.8 million.
 |
| The Fairbanks Catholic Diocese has agreed on a settlement with representatives of almost 300 victims of alleged sexual abuse. |
An attorney for many of the victims says this marks a milestone after seven years of litigation.
There were 292 claims filed in the bankruptcy by individuals who say they were sexually assaulted by members of the Fairbanks Catholic Diocese.
The Diocese will pay the financial settlement to a fund that will distribute the money to the surviving victims.
The amount each victim receives will depend on the severity of the abuse.
Ken Roosa is an attorney for many of the alleged victims. He says some of them have died during the litigation process.
"Waiting, waiting and waiting for this bankruptcy to be resolved to hopefully see some measure of justice for the crimes that were committed against them as children," Roosa said.
"I have worked with the victims who have come forward and I think it is a long time coming. It's a big step in the right direction," said Elsie Bourdreau, one of the sexual abuse survivors.
Roosa says the next step is for the Diocese to assign his insurance, Catholic Mutual and Travellers, to the committee.
The committee will then attempt to collect money from the insurance companies and he expects they'll get about an additional $40-to-$100 million.
The courts will still have to approve the settlement before any of the money reaches the victims.
A confirmation on the $9.8 million and the money from insurance companies will be made in January.
Roosa says it won't be until after late February when victims will be able to see any of the money.
Contact Christine Kim at ckim@ktuu.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.