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Victim awards to be set in Boston pedophile priest case

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John Geoghan  


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Two arbitrators in Boston, Massachusetts, will determine individual damage awards for 86 people who sued John Geoghan, a convicted pedophile priest at the center of an expanding clergy sex abuse scandal, the lawyer for the plaintiffs said Tuesday.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said the total settlement, which he reached Monday night with 17 officials from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, will range from $15 million to $30 million, with individual awards averaging hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"I feel the final amount will be closer to $30 million," he told reporters. Individual awards will be based on the severity of harm the victim suffered, he said.

The archdiocese has not commented on the settlement.

The nation's fourth-largest diocese agreed not to require plaintiffs to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of the settlement, and there is nothing in the agreement requiring the archdiocese to apologize to victims, Garabedian said.

"It (the settlement) sends a message saying ... the church did something wrong," the lawyer said.

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The plaintiffs include 70 victims and 16 parents. The victims filed civil lawsuits contending they were molested by the Rev. John Geoghan sometime during a 30-year period.

It was not clear when the arbitrators would meet, but they will have 14 days from their hearing to make decisions on monetary amounts, and payments to victims must be made within 14 days after that, the lawyer said.

"It's not just about money, as you've heard today, it's about dignity," the lawyer said. Many of his clients had called him to say they were "pleased" with the settlement, he said.

"There are good tears, there are bad tears. They are very emotional," Garabedian said.

"I'm still kind of in shock. (The litigation) has been going on for just over four years. I'm very happy that somebody is listening and moving forward trying to change the rules of the church and protect the kids of the future," said one of the victims at the news conference.

The sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic church has grown nationwide since January, when Boston Cardinal Bernard Law admitted that Geoghan had molested children for years but was kept on the job anyway, being moved from parish to parish.

Since January, dozens of priests nationwide have been suspended or forced to resign, and priests' names have been turned over to prosecutors.

Garabedian said he has been contacted by more than 100 new potential clients with molestation accusations against Geoghan and several other priests.

Local district attorneys report the archdiocese has handed over the names of 99 priests who have been accused of molesting children over the past 30 years. Attorneys for the local order of Jesuits have also agreed to start turning over names to the district attorneys.



 
 
 
 



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