ST. JOHN'S (CANADA)
VOCM [St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada]
October 11, 2024
The lawyer representing some 200 survivors of abuse at the hands of Roman Catholic priests within the Archdiocese of St. John’s, is confident that they’ll get to the $105 million dollar settlement reached, even if the money currently isn’t there to meet that amount.
A substantial gap remains between the $105 million settlement, and the approximately $43-44 million currently available.
The Archdiocese has sold off properties to meet its legal obligation and the court process has also determined that that money can be accessed through general insurance policies carried by the church.
Geoff Budden, lawyer for the claimants, told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly, how they get to the $105 million settlement has yet to be worked out.
“There are a number of other defendants that could be responsible. There are religious orders that had some involvement within the Archdiocese, and the province certainly had some responsibility for Mount Cashel. All of that will be looked at very carefully,” says Budden. “It’s perhaps a bit early to speculate on how all that might look, but certainly there are a number of ways by which we could get to the $105 million.” He says that’s not guaranteed, but he’s optimistic that “we’ll get there.”