LOS ANGELES -- Negotiators completed a historic deal yesterday that settles the legal claims of more than 500 victims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Victims will receive a total of $660 million, by far the largest of any settlements arising nationwide from the five-year-old clergy abuse scandal, representatives of both the church and the plaintiffs confirmed last night. The average payout will be in excess of $1.3 million.
"The settlement is complete," announced Raymond Boucher, the lead attorney for victims. "Some of the victims have waited more than five decades for a chance at reconciliation and resolution. This is a down payment on that debt long overdue."
The deal was struck just as the church and its insurers were set to face trial on the first of the claims, by 14 men claiming that the church failed to protect them as boys from molestation by a parish priest.
Church officials could not immediately be reached for comment. But hours earlier, they had said that a deal was imminent.
A group of victims, the Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests, scheduled a news conference yesterday outside the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, then canceled it.
"My understanding is that they're close to a deal," said David Clohessy, national SNAP director. "On the eve of trial, church officers always come close. If I had to bet, I'd bet there will be a deal. I understand both sides are working feverishly toward one."
The complex negotiations involve dozens of insurance companies, the archdiocese, the largest in the United States, and more than 30 Catholic orders, such as the Western Province of the Claretian Missionaries.
The orders' share - the plaintiffs sought $150 million - is crucial. Both lawyers said they would agree only to a settlement of all remaining cases, though the difficulty with the orders suggests that a partial settlement could ultimately be signed.
Almost a year ago, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and his opponents showed they could compromise without shortchanging victims or impeding the ability of the Catholic Church to perform its mission. They settled most claims that arose since 1985, the year Mahony became archbishop, when the church agreed to pay $60 million to 45 people.
Unlike that deal, which involved no insurance companies, the universal settlement under consideration would require the agreement of more than a dozen major and minor insurers. Each covered the diocese for a different period before 1986, and each had continuing responsibility, some overlapping, for the results of harms allegedly inflicted earlier, creating a hugely complicated liability picture.
The Los Angeles church has long asserted that insurance coverage is sufficient to cover all claims. But five dioceses in the United States, including San Diego this year, have entered bankruptcy rather than face juries.
The compensation for the hundreds of victims was made possible by the California Legislature, which five years ago extended the legal deadline so that older claims that only recently came to light could be pursued in the courts.
The deal under consideration means that the only victims in California who remain without compensation are in San Diego. Last fall, victims settled with half a dozen Catholic dioceses in Northern California, and several large orders, such as the Carmelites, have also paid to settle claims against them.
John Spano writes for the Los Angeles Times.