The Los Angeles Daily Journal today reports that the archdioceses of Los Angeles and Orange counties have agreed to pay $5.2 milllion to a man who alleged that he was sexually molested by a priest. The Daily Journal quotes the plaintiff's attorney who states that the settlement is the largest pretrial settlement in the country for a molestation allegations against a priest.
While these child abuse cases are unfortunately all too common for the church, I thought that the terms of the settlement are well worth noting:
1) The priest must give up his collar
2) The archdiocese must institute a toll-free number and a Web site for victims to report molestations
3) The archdiocese must start a victims' assistance program and place a green page in employees' files, signaling that any "sensitive" information on that employee is in another file. (During discovery, the plaintiff's attorneys discovered two sets of files: a clean set and a set that noted molestation allegations.)
4) If officials determine that a priest has molested a child, that priest may never again live or work in an environment with children.
5) Each diocese must issue letters of apology to the plaintiff and other victims.
The case name is Marcus Ryan DiMaria v. The Roman Cotholic Bishop of Orange - Orange County Superior Court Case #786901