On 9 September 2003, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston agreed to pay 85 million dollars to settle claims from 552 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, with individual awards ranging from 80,000 to 300,000 dollars depending on the severity and duration of the abuse alleged. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney approved the finalized agreement on 26 September 2003. The settlement followed Cardinal Bernard Law's resignation in December 2002 and the Boston Globe Spotlight Team's investigation, and was, at the time, the largest known payout by a US diocese to settle abuse claims, a record exceeded four years later by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles's 660 million dollar settlement.
Facts
Inquiry Profile
Kind of Record JurisdictionMassachusetts, United States (Suffolk Superior Court) 1 Publication Year Period Covered, FromThe Boston Globe Spotlight reporting made the clergy abuse crisis public in January 2002, which set off the wave of claims that led to the September 2003 settlement. Period Covered, To Documented Findings
Accused DocumentedThe settlement covered allegations against 140 priests and two others. Victim Estimate Key FindingThe settlement was reached about a month after the archdiocese had first offered 55 million dollars, an amount claimants' attorneys had rejected as inadequate. It resolved more than 500 lawsuits at once rather than proceeding case by case, with the opt in deadline extended to 23 October 2003 and payments expected by 22 December 2003. 1 Connections
Associated With
Boston, Cities Source Church Abuse Settlement FinalizedMeghan Dorney, The Boston Pilot
Source Church Abuse Settlement FinalizedMeghan Dorney, The Boston Pilot
Source Church Abuse Settlement FinalizedMeghan Dorney, The Boston Pilot
Belongs to Tradition
Source Church Abuse Settlement FinalizedMeghan Dorney, The Boston Pilot
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Sources
1. Church Abuse Settlement Finalized
Meghan Dorney, The Boston Pilot, The Boston Pilot, Archdiocese of Boston, 2003paragraph 1, The Boston Pilot, September 26, 2003Quote, paragraph 1, The Boston Pilot, September 26, 2003
Victims' attorneys met Sept. 23 and approved the language in the $85 million settlement agreement with the archdiocese, finalizing the offer.
2. Scores of Priests Involved in Sex Abuse Cases (The Boston Globe, January 31, 2002)
A Settlement in Boston: the Archdiocese Agrees to a Record 85 Million Dollars
Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News and World Report, U.S. News and World Report, archived by BishopAccountability.org, 2003bishop-accountability.org, republishing Gilgoff, A Settlement in Boston: the Archdiocese Agrees to a Record 85 Million Dollars, 2003Quote, bishop-accountability.org, republishing Gilgoff, A Settlement in Boston: the Archdiocese Agrees to a Record 85 Million Dollars, 2003
$85 million settlement with 552 alleged victims of priest abuse
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