Judge Delays Decision in Church Sex Abuse Case, by Mark Sauer and Sandi Dolbee, Union-Tribune, August 23, 2007

Judge Delays Decision in Church Sex Abuse Case

By Mark Sauer and Sandi Dolbee
Union-Tribune
August 23, 2007

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070823-1313-bn23diocese.html

A federal judge today held off on finalizing a decision to send dozens of child sexual abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego back to state court for trials.

Recognizing that significant progress had been made in recent settlement talks, Judge Louise DeCarl Adler said she would delay her decision until Monday.

In a tentative ruling, she had granted the request from abuse-victims' attorneys to send 42 of 127 lawsuits back for trial.

Bankruptcy court tentative ruling (PDF, 9 pages)

But in a stern rebuke, Adler said the diocese was "forum shopping" and that its offer was "significantly less" than the statewide average for such cases.

The diocese has offered an average of about $600,000 per case, roughly half of what more than 900 clergy abuse cases have settled for on average in California.

In what could be an explosive hearing this afternoon, attorneys for both the diocese and abuse victims will question R. Todd Neilson, whose report on diocese finances was highly critical of the handling of some parish funds.

Mark Sauer: (619) 293-2227; mark.sauer@uniontrib.com