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	Payouts for Clergy Sex-abuse Victims Range Wildly Winona Daily News October 8, 2011 http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/article_e20e3114-f169-11e0-a442-001cc4c03286.html The size of the $1.4 million civil judgment for a Winona woman sexually abused by a former McKinley Methodist United pastor may seem eye-popping, but it’s not uncommon, attorneys familiar with such cases said Friday. According to Minnesota-based Attorney Jeff Anderson, who specializes in clergy sexual-abuse cases, settlements typically range from as little as $25,000 up to $2.5 million. Occasionally they’re much higher, like a $5.2 million settlement granted to a California man abused by a Catholic priest. Mike Finnegan, a St. Paul-based attorney who primarily handles child sexual-abuse cases, said it’s not uncommon to see six- and seven-figure judgments. Attorneys said the amounts fluctuate so widely primarily because juries are given the abstract task of making a judgment accurately reflect the scope and severity of the abuse. David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests, said a large settlement can indicate a higher level of complicity or corruption by a clergy member or church leadership. “Church officials pay more when they know that dreadfully embarrassing secrets would surface during a trial,” Clohessy said. Most victims never see the full amount of the judgment, he said. But he added that for a victim, the judgment itself is a reward. “For many victims, it’s healing to force their perpetrator to commit to a substantial financial penalty, even if he or she will never end up paying it,” Clohessy said.
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