Archdiocese Could Pay Up to $30 Million to People Who Say They Were Molested by Ex-Priest

By Robert O'neill Associated Press Writer

Published: Mar 5, 2002

BOSTON (AP) - Lawyers for the Archdiocese of Boston and alleged victims of John J. Geoghan met Tuesday in an attempt to finalize a deal that could give up to $30 million to 86 people who say they were molested by the now-defrocked priest.

The tentative agreement was reached late Monday, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

"All of the parties are working in good faith to reach an agreement and we believe they will continue to do so," archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey said Tuesday. "Our goal is to achieve a fair and just resolution of these cases as soon as possible in the best interest of the victims."

Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the civil lawsuits, did not return messages left Tuesday by The Associated Press. Earlier in the day, he said: "No documents have been signed. We don't even have a final draft."

The Globe said the tentative agreement was reached after 11 months of negotiations. It will still need the signatures of all 86 plaintiffs and the 17 defendants, including Cardinal Bernard F. Law.

The 86 plaintiffs would get an average of $232,000 to $348,000 each, with an arbitrator deciding the amount in each case.

The church has already paid an estimated $15 million to 100 alleged Geoghan victims since the mid-1990s.

Geoghan was sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison last month for groping a 10-year-old boy in a swimming pool, and faces two more criminal trials. He has been accused of molesting more than 130 children in six parishes over 30 years.

The settlement would be one of the biggest ever reached by the nation's Roman Catholic Church in a child-molestation case involving a priest.

In 1998, nine altar boys in Dallas who said they were molested by former priest Rudolph Kos received a $23.4 million settlement. In New Mexico, the archdiocese paid an estimated $50 million to settle about 45 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by former priest Jason Sigler.

Besides the pending lawsuits against Geoghan, there are 48 claims pending against other priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, which has come under fierce criticism for moving Geoghan from parish to parish after learning of the allegations against him.

AP-ES-03-05-02 2018EST