The retired judge hired to mediate clergy sexual-abuse claims against the Denver Roman Catholic Archdiocese said Wednesday that disagreements over money are not unusual and he remains optimistic about brokering settlements.
An attorney for 19 of the 30 plaintiffs suing the archdiocese said he notified Judge Richard Dana this week that discussions with his clients had reached an impasse. The attorney, Jeffrey Herman of Miami, accused the archdiocese of reneging on a promise to make available a “substantial” sum to settle the cases.
“It does not surprise me that the plaintiffs’ lawyers and the defendants’ lawyers don’t agree on what a reasonable value of a case is,” said Dana, a former state district judge and co-founder of Judicial Arbiter Group, a mediation firm. “That’s bread and butter in my business. The cliché I use is it takes time to make soup. You put it on the stove, heat it up, and it cooks awhile.
“The process goes on,” he said. “No one, as far as I know, has walked away from it.”
Herman reiterated Wednesday that the final decision rests with his clients, but mediation was unsuccessful and “litigation is our only option at this point.”
However, he said, “If the archdiocese is prepared to do the right thing, I’m always prepared to listen.”
Both Herman and Dana confirmed that Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput attended each mediation session, which stretched over a two-week period. Though the original structure barred church officials, Herman requested an archdiocesan representative be on hand.
Jeanette DeMelo, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Chaput chose to attend because “he is personally committed to helping these individuals find healing and closure.”
Dana said he believes 19 people requested mediation and one or two clients represented by a different attorney at least expressed interest. The archdiocese hopes to settle the lawsuits by the end of October.
The suits center on alleged child sex abuse decades ago involving former priest Harold Robert White, who was defrocked, and the late Rev. Leonard Abercrombie.
Staff writer Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com.
