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	State Settles Maclaren Sex Abuse Cases By Colin Fogarty Public NewsRoom July 23, 2007 http://publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1118407§ionID=1 Portland, OR 2007-07-23 The state of Oregon has reached a settlement with 13 men who say they were sexually abused as teens by Father Michael Sprauer. The Salem priest was the chaplain at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn in the 1970s. Colin Fogarty reports. In May, a Multnomah County jury delivered $1.4 million verdict against Sprauer. A 12-member jury sided with two accusers suing the priest. The jury cleared Sprauer in a lawsuit by another man. The three cases were the only lawsuits against a Catholic priest in Oregon to reach a trial. Sprauer took the stand to deny accusations that he abused teenage boys in the 1970s. But jurors like Deborah Yost didn't believe the priest. Deborah Yost: "The testimony of the guys really had an effect on me and many other people. I just believe them over Sprauer." The verdict prompted lawyers for the state, for Sprauer, and for his accusers to sit down for negotiations. Under the terms of the new settlement, the state of Oregon — which operates MacLaren — will pay a little more than a million dollars. Plaintiffs' attorney Dan Gatti says Sprauer's accusers will not pursue punitive damages against the priest. Dan Gatti: "Well it certainly brings closure to a very emotional and difficult series of cases. And it's a terrific resolution, especially after the jury gave to all of the plaintiffs, by their verdict for punitive damages the vindication they so well deserved." The settlement does not include an admission of guilt by Sprauer. The Archdiocese of Portland spokesman Bud Bunce says church officials continue to believe the priest. Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers spokeswoman Stephanie Soden says state attorneys have not changed their view, either. Stephanie Soden: "By choosing to settle on these cases, it's not a sign of belief in guilt or innocence. It's what's in the best interest of the state, the taxpayer, and employee resources. The fact that a jury found two out of three in favor of the plaintiffs." This case was expensive for the Oregon Department of Justice. The agency paid more than a million dollars over several years to a law firm in Idaho. An attorney there used to be an assistant attorney general in Oregon and had handled the Sprauer cases before. Soden says the state is negotiating with the Chubb Group — its insurance company in the 1970s - to cover the costs of the case. The settlement — along with a landmark bankruptcy agreement by the Portland Archdiocese in April — mean only a handful of unresolved sex abuse cases remain against Catholic priests in Oregon. Those cases are going through an out of court claims process set up by the bankruptcy settlement.
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