LOS ANGELES-
The nation’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese could sign a $60 million settlement with dozens of alleged victims of clergy abuse within days, several attorneys told The Associated Press.
The settlement being drafted by attorneys for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the alleged victims would give 45 claimants a total of $60 million, said Venus Soltan, a plaintiffs’ attorney. The settlement would encompass alleged victims whose claims are not covered by the church’s insurance policies, she said.
If distributed equally, each alleged victim would get $1.3 million, although how the money would be divided remained unclear.
“We are in the final stages of documentation and the settlement should be coming public within a week,” said Soltan, who represents two of the people who would receive money under the agreement. “It’s a very big deal because it’s the first time Los Angeles has settled any of its cases.”
An attorney for the priests and another plaintiffs’ attorney confirmed those figures for The Associated Press in interviews this week and said a deal is likely within a week.
The 45 cases are a fraction of the more than 500 clergy abuse lawsuits filed against the archdiocese since 2003, when alleged victims were allowed to file lawsuits under a state law that peeled back the statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims for one year.
Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg acknowledged Friday that both sides were working hard on a deal, but said similar negotiations with the uninsured cases fell apart last year.
“Talks are ongoing, we’re trying to settle the uninsured cases, that’s no secret. Last month, people were saying it was going to happen within days,” Tamberg said. “I’ve seen so many stops and starts along the way and I wouldn’t hazard a guess at all.”
The potential deal would be the most significant step to date toward resolving extensive litigation against the archdiocese that has dragged on for years. It would represent the second-largest publicly known clergy abuse payout in California and the fourth-largest in the nation, according to an AP review of settlements.
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