« Courts - "Try to avoid behavior that leads judges to officially castigate you in their court opinions" | Main | Ind. Courts - Still more on "Life, Death and Insurance: Indiana's $15 Million Mystery " »

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Ind. Courts - "Indianapolis Archdiocese ends priest abuse lawsuit with first cash settlement"

The ILB's last entry on this case was on Jan. 22, 2010, re the trial pending before Judge David Dryer of Marion Superior Court, Civil 10.

This afternoon, Robert King of the Indianapolis Star has a long story, complete with graphics -- some quotes:

In a move unprecedented for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the church has agreed to a cash settlement with someone who has brought a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a priest -- adding Indianapolis' name to the list of American dioceses to take a financial hit in the ongoing scandal.

The $199,000 settlement is small compared with some of the multimillion-dollar deals reached elsewhere around the country. But the agreement with a 48-year-old Indianapolis man involves a former priest who is still the subject of 12 pending lawsuits by other alleged victims.
Advertisement

In this case, a plaintiff known in court papers only as John Doe CT claimed that when he was 14 then-priest Harry Monroe repeatedly abused him sexually while both were at St. Catherine Catholic Church on the city's Southside. St. Catherine merged with another parish in 1993 to form what is now Good Shepherd.

Along with the cash payment, the settlement requires the archdiocese to issue a public apology for John Doe CT's abuse. * * *

The settlement also requires the archdiocese to take actions that its policy guidelines says already should be in place -- including bans on priests from taking overnight trips with children or having children in their cars alone. * * *

The settlement, reached last week, came through a mediator less than two weeks before jury selection was to begin. It also comes as the pressure on the Catholic Church to address a widening sex abuse scandal in Europe and Mexico.

This April 30, 2010 ILB entry dealt with statute of limitations issues in priest abuse case.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 12, 2010 03:10 PM
Posted to Indiana Decisions