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	Sex Abuse Plaintiffs Thanked for Resolve, Courage Lawyer Calls Cardinal Instrumental in Reaching Settlement Orange County Register July 16, 2007 http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1769289.php Los Angeles – Alleged victims of clergy sex abuse stood during a hearing finalizing their $660 million settlement Monday as their lead attorney thanked them. Lawyer Ray Boucher broke down in tears after praising his clients' courage and resolve. "It's their courage and commitment that made this possible and I think they deserve a tremendous debt of gratitude," he said. "I know it's hard for most of the victims whose scars are very deep ... and I know many will never forgive the cardinal," he said. "But he took steps that I think that only he could take and if left to the lawyers and others in the church he would not have settled this case." The attorney for the archdiocese, Michael Hennigan, also appeared emotional as he told the court that his views of clergy sexual abuse changed dramatically during the years he spent trying to hammer out an agreement. He said private meetings with 70 of the plaintiffs made the most impact. "It changed us all and it changed our perspective on what's happened here," he said. "I'd like to say that the church would have been reformed without these cases, but I don't know that's true," he said. "These cases have forever reformed the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It will never be the same." Hennigan said Cardinal Roger Mahony made several trips to Rome in recent weeks to get the Vatican's support for the settlement, by far the largest payout by any diocese since the clergy abuse scandal emerged in Boston in 2002. Individual payouts, to be made by Dec. 1, will vary according to the severity of each case. Cardinal Roger Mahony, whose archdiocese counts 4.3 million Catholics, sat through the hearing but did not speak. John Manly, lawyer for about 50 plaintiffs, said he didn't think Mahoney was willing to face the prospect of trial in which church leaders would have to testify. "We were ready to put the cardinal on the stand. Frankly it would have been Armageddon for them," Manly said. Manley said he hopes the settlement "ends a very sad chapter in Orange County history." "But I can tell you that based on what we've seen from the Diocese of Orange is that they still don't get it. The rhetoric is different but the actions are the same. That's very disturbing." The deal settles all 508 cases that remained against the archdiocese, which also paid $60 million in December to settle 45 cases that weren't covered by sexual abuse insurance. The archdiocese will pay $250 million, insurance carriers will pay a combined $227 million and several religious orders will chip in $60 million. The remaining $123 million will come from litigation with religious orders that chose not to participate in the deal, with the archdiocese guaranteeing resolution of those 80 to 100 cases within five years, Hennigan said. Plaintiffs' attorneys can expect to receive up to 40 percent of the settlement money – or $264 million. Staff Writer Gwendolyn Driscoll contributed to this report.
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