Milwaukee archdiocese to pay abuse victims $21m

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has agreed a multimillion-dollar settlement with 330 people who have filed claims of sexual abuse by clergy, writes Abigail Frymann Rouch.

Diocesan officials said on Tuesday that the $21-million (£13.4m) deal, which will need to be reviewed by a bankruptcy judge, came after three days of negotiations between the bankrupt archdiocese, victims’ lawyers and the creditors’ committee.

The deal could bring to a close a bitter four-year battle in a bankruptcy court and would allocate varying amounts to victims depending on their claims.

It would also establish a $500,000 therapy fund and protect the archdiocese’s parishes, schools and institutions from future abuse lawsuits.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011 in the face of the sexual-abuse allegations. It had previously offered a payout of around $4m.

“This settlement represents for us in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee a new Pentecost, a day of rebirth that renews our focus on word, worship and service,” Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki said in a statement.

However, lawyer Jeff Ander-son, who was part of the nego- tiations, accused the archdiocese of playing hardball and using tactics “that have beaten down the survivors’ community”..