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Utah Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer - Utah Catholic Church Sexual Assault Settlements UT
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. Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
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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. Utah Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
Los Angeles was the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States in 2007, and, in July of that year, it agreed to pay $660 million in the largest settlement up to that point for sexual abuse cases. The settlement was divided among the 508 plaintiffs for an average payout of $1.3 million per plaintiff. The settlement came days before civil trials were due to begin, and the archdiocese was encouraged to settle due to the potential for punitive damages and Cardinal Mahony potentially having to testify. The settlement ended all pending litigation in the cases of sexual abuse against the archdiocese.
Utah Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
As part of the judgement, confidential priest personnel files were agreed to be released after being reviewed by the judge overseeing the case. This was important because the documents could reveal possible involvement of archdiocesan leaders in coverups for the abusive priests. Cardinal Mahony had fought the release of the confidential files. The archdiocese delayed the release of the files until 2013 after the retirement of Cardinal Mahony, and they revealed the efforts of Cardinal Mahony and his aide, Bishop Thomas Curry, to protect priests accused of abuse.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
This judgment came after the Los Angeles archdiocese had previously settled 86 claims totaling more than $114 million, including a $60 million settlement as recently as December 2006. A state law from 2002 that temporarily revoked the statute of limitations for the reporting of sexual abuse claims led to the more than 500 additional lawsuits against the archdiocese involved in the $660 million settlement.
The settlement was split among insurance companies, the archdioceses, and individual religious orders named in the cases. The archdiocese itself was responsible for $250 million of the settlement. In 2008, the archdiocese sold the 12 story Archdiocesan Catholic Center located on Wilshire Boulevard for $31 million to help raise funds to pay its share of the $660 million settlement. Cardinal Roger Mahony stated that the archdiocese was also considering the sale of an additional 50 nonessential buildings.
Utah Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Reaction to the settlement was largely positive, as it was seen as the archdiocese finally accepting some responsibility for the mishandling of sexual abuse claims. There was some criticism that the archdiocese prolonged the settlement, and some victims felt that the award was little compensation for the pain they had suffered at the hands of the priests and then by the treatment they received from the church.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Utah
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