Priest Absconds to Ireland

By Patsy McGarry
Irish Times
April 23, 2012

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0423/1224315051080.html

What is believed to be one of the largest individual settlements in the history of the US clerical sexual abuse scandal involved a priest who recently absconded to Ireland in the middle of court proceedings there.

The settlement of $3.75 million (€2.83 million) between the Californian diocese of Stockton and a man now in his 30s was announced on Friday and involved Fr Michael Kelly (62), a native of Tipperary.

Fr Kelly was removed from ministry in the US on April 6th after a jury found unanimously against him in this case alleging sexual abuse in the 1980s.

A second phase of the trial got under way almost two weeks ago. Fr Kelly denied the allegations and left while proceedings were under way.