Church Sex Abuse Lawyer California - Church Sex Abuse Lawyer California
Were you sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church? You are not alone. We are here to help abuse victims. Stand up against your abuser and help prevent this from happening to someone else. Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and an California Sex Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case. This is a free consultation. There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation at the end of the case. Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing. Church Sex Abuse Lawyer California
Reasons to call
- Hold the church and priests accountable
- Prevent this from happening to someone else
- Help with the road to recovery – settlement money can provide financial security for you. It can also help pay for therapy, rehabilitation, and medical treatment
Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case.
Church Sex Abuse Lawyer California
In what seemed like a million years of settlement talks, the Diocese of San Diego has agreed to pay $198.1 million to the sexual abuse victims of its priests. This was historic because it was the second largest settlement against a diocese in the United States. The 144 victims who had been the plaintiffs in the case each got an average of $1.38 million, which offered each victim an average of $825,000 after lawyer's fees. The diocese had previously wanted to settle the cases for $95 million, but that offer wasn't approved. The plaintiffs played hardball, and it paid off.
A significant majority of the victims were relieved by the settlement, however, many expressed anger at the church for prolonging the settlement discussions. There were also lingering accusations that the church leadership had deliberately hidden the claims against abusive clergymen in a pattern of obstruction.
Church Sex Abuse Lawyer California
The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection a few months prior to the settlement deal was reached applying the argument it had become the simplest way to guarantee compensation for the victims, even so the bankruptcy case was dismissed after several months.
The diocese appeared to be responsible to pay for $107 million of the entire settlement with $76 million coming from their insurer and almost $15 million from the Diocese of San Bernardino, a previous part of the Diocese of San Diego. The San Diego diocese paid $40 million coming from sales of real estate property.
In what seemed like a pretty creative idea, the diocese requested its parishioners to kick in an additional $25 million to help pay the settlement. Bishop Robert H. Brom asked for the donations in a letter to dated October of 2007 alerting the parish that the diocese might have to sell its headquarters and a seminary if they were unable to raise enough money in donations. Bishop Brom also requested each of the priests in the diocese to give 30 days worth of salary to the victims.
Church Sex Abuse Lawyer California
The Diocese of San Diego declined to publish the personnel documents of the forty eight priests involved in the case. In a bitter dispute, the diocese fought against the release in court until October 2010 when a San Diego County Superior Court judge required the release of thousands of pages of documents.
Bishop Robert McElroy assumed leadership of the Diocese of San Diego in 2015, and he promoted reforms to protect children within the parishes. Every employee will have to go through a comprehensive check, and parents as well as children are taught the warning signs of abusive priests and how to spot conduct which are improper. Hopefully this trend will carry on across the nation and guard kids.
Church Sex Abuse Lawyers California
Priest Sex Abuse Lawyer
Call Today: 1-866-777-2557
Priest Sexual Abuse Victims Lawyer - Free Confidential Consultation - 1-866-777-2557
Were You Abused?