"After more than five years of litigation, a federal bankruptcy judge has approved the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans' proposal to pay $230m to roughly 600 survivors of sexual abuse by the church's priests, deacons and other personnel. Judge Meredith Grabill on Monday confirmed the settlement, which also includes major changes to how the church identifies and discloses past claims of sexual abuse by clergy and protects children and vulnerable adults going forward."
"This legal thing may end, but the trauma done to us will not ever end, Neil Duhon said on the stand after recounting how he was kidnapped and raped by serial pedophile priest Lawrence Hecker in 1975 and reported it to church officials, but wasn't believed. He said that didn't change until the Guardian exposed Hecker's internal abuse file and teamed with WWL Louisiana to confront the retired priest in 2023."
A federal bankruptcy judge confirmed a $230 million settlement for roughly 600 survivors of sexual abuse by priests, deacons and other archdiocese personnel. The settlement requires significant changes to how the archdiocese identifies and discloses past clergy abuse and includes measures to protect children and vulnerable adults going forward. The case began in May 2020 when the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11. A three-week fairness trial included testimony from about 20 survivors, including detailed accounts of kidnappings and rapes and subsequent failures to believe or act, and resulting investigative exposure, arrest and conviction of an accused priest.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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