Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...The Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to pay $395 million to settle hundreds of lawsuits by churchgoers who say they endured decades of sexual abuse at the hands of local priests, attorneys for those parishioners announced Monday.
The archdiocese’s proposed settlement — which still must be approved in a vote by more than 500 abuse victims — also includes whistleblower protections, a bill of rights for abuse victims and a mandate for the church to make public the names of clergy members accused of sexual misconduct and assault. If finalized, the deal would mark one of the largest payouts by the Catholic church across California in the last decade, during which state lawmakers temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on lawsuits targeting sexual predators.
In a statement announcing the deal, one attorney framed the accord as a “brave declaration and reclamation of power” by victims of abuse. The attorney, Jeff Anderson, added that “the survivors have risen up to require a real reckoning.”
Attorneys for other victims hailed the accord as “historic,” particularly for “holding the Archdiocese accountable through enforceable reforms that promote transparency, protect children and help ensure that future generations do not suffer the same failures.”
“This settlement represents an important step toward accountability, but it should not be mistaken for a measure of the harm these survivors endured,” said the attorney, Neda Lotfi, who is a partner at PCVA Law and represents 19 of the victims. “No settlement can undo the profound trauma these survivors have carried for decades, and no amount of compensation can fully account for the damage that was done.”
Along with the payout, the archdiocese must make public a “comprehensive, up-to-date list” of clergy members accused of sexual abuse, including the outcomes of any investigations into their alleged conduct, and the church’s response to those claims, the law firm said. The deal also bars the church from signing confidentiality agreements with abuse victims, or from lobbying against laws “that could weaken mandatory reporting requirements.”
The announcement stands in stark contrast with the situation across the Bay, where talks between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and hundreds of other abuse victims remain mired in a protracted and increasingly bitter stalemate.
The Oakland diocese’s most recent offer of $180 million — along with another $44.3 million from its insurers — was soundly rejected by abuse survivors. The inclusion of the insurers’ payout was a major sticking point, because abuse victims prefer to negotiate on their own with insurance companies, in the hopes of securing more money.
In contrast, East Bay abuse victims have demanded $314.1 million over the course of three and a half years from the Oakland diocese and a related corporation overseeing its schools, according to a court filing earlier this year.
Much like the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Oakland diocese sought bankruptcy protection shortly after the three-year window closed for abuse victims to file lawsuits against the church.
The ensuring stalemate has since prompted a federal bankruptcy judge to allow six lawsuits to proceed to trial — the goal being to hasten settlement talks between the two sides as they gauge juries’ reactions.
A jury in one of those cases recently awarded $16 million to a former Union City altar boy who said he was abused in the 1970s by Stephen Kiesle, a former Catholic priest who faced decades of allegations of misconduct. One juror in that case, who later spoke to the Bay Area News Group, said he wanted an even higher payout to the accuser — a verdict totaling $28 million.
The five other cases freed up by the bankruptcy judge have yet to proceed to trial.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.