BishopAccountability.org
	Diocese Settlement with Victims Was Correct News Journal February 4, 2011 http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110204/OPINION11/102040317 Discussing priest abuse of minor boys in the Wilmington Diocese over the past five decades is not a pleasant conversation. But it can't be ignored, nor should it be. Wilmington attorney Thomas Neuberger, who has represented the vast majority of the approximately 150 local plaintiffs who have brought claims against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for abuse, has been stigmatized and ridiculed for his persistent and sometimes overly public pursuit of justice for his clients. As damaging as his efforts have been to local priests and parishes, that's what lawyers do. Mr. Neuberger never gave up on his fight to receive justice for his abused clients, even when the diocese filed for bankruptcy, leaving many of the parishes vulnerable to individual lawsuits and other legal action. The settlement is part of the bankruptcy reorganization. Now, after years of negotiation and individual legal successes by Mr. Neuberger, the Diocese of Wilmington, along with input from Bishop W. Francis Malooly, has agreed to a legal settlement with the plaintiffs by establishing a $77.4 million trust fund to pay those who have brought suit under the state's Child Victims Act, legislation that allowed lawsuits for priest abuse after the statute of limitations had expired. That amounts to an average of $553,000 per plaintiff. But the settlement also included agreement on non-monetary issues related to the release of files on abusive priests and the diocese agreeing to adopt policies to prevent abuse in the future. The settlement also sets out procedures for how legal claims involving religious orders can be dealt with. Mr. Neuberger described the non-monetary parts of the settlement as what "broke the logjam" on the ongoing negotiations. This settlement will bring to an end any pending lawsuits against the priests and church. And it means victims will now be compensated for the sordid behavior of their priests years ago.
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