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Utah Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer - Utah Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Settlements
If you were 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 you. Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and a Utah Sexual Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case. Help is available nationwide. There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation. Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing. Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
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Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
In 2003, the Archdiocese of Louisville announced a settlement of $25.7 million to 243 people who had accused priests of sexual abuse. The settlement was reached after five days of negotiations, and it was the largest settlement to be paid directly from a diocese’s assets. The archdiocese had been pressured to settle as documents that came to light during discovery showed that Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly had not removed offending priests from their parish work and had, in one case, criticized the family of a victim. Victims’ groups had started a petition calling for the resignation of the archbishop and were holding candlelight and prayer vigils while awaiting word of the settlement.
Utah Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer
There were approximately 200,000 Catholics in the archdiocese of Louisville, and it had 115 active priests in 2003. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit had accused 34 priests of abuse in the years from the 1940s to the 1990s. 90 of the plaintiffs accused the same priest, Reverend Louis Miller, of abuse. Miller was a retired priest who was sentenced in 2003 to 20 years in prison for sexual abuse. A large majority of the plaintiffs had accused either Miller or three other priests. The plaintiffs and the archdiocese agreed to mediation to resolve the case, and the settlement is referred to the judge to determine how much of the settlement is paid to the plaintiffs’ lawyer.
The archdiocese decided to cut programs and services to fund the settlement, because insurance would not cover the costs of the settlement due to the age of the claims. The archdiocese claimed a total of $48 million in assets at the time of the settlement, so payment of the settlement would require approximately half of the archdiocese’s assets. To lessen the financial burden of their legal defense, the archdiocese had already laid off 34 employees and reduced their budget by $2 million.
Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
The lawyer for most of the plaintiffs expressed praise that Archbishop Kelly did not resist settling the cases. He said Archbishop Kelly reacted with compassion for the victims, and Archbishop Kelly issued an appeal for forgiveness for the mistakes made in handling the allegations. Despite some calls for him to resign, Archbishop Kelly had no plans to do so, stating that he was staying per the wishes of the members of the archdiocese.
Utah Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Lawyer
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