Boston abuse victims receive settlement payments

Published: 2003-12-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A major chapter in the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal ended in late December as lawyers distributed settlement checks to 541 victims of Boston archdiocesan priests from the $85 million settlement pool the archdiocese set up to meet their claims. Also in December, several priests were relieved of their duties because allegations against them were found credible in church investigations. Clergy sex abuse lawsuits in the Diocese of Springfield, Mass., were consolidated under one judge, and a new judge took over a class action lawsuit filed in Kentucky. In California, new lawsuits were filed in several cities shortly before Christmas as the Dec. 31 deadline approached for bringing decades-old claims to court. A class action suit filed in San Diego Dec. 22 sought, in effect, to extend the deadline by allowing claimants who did not file individually to join in the class action after Jan. 1.

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