Lujan: Sex-abuse victims are open to settlement talks

By Mindy Aguon
Guam Daily Post
February 4, 2017

http://www.postguam.com/news/local/lujan-sex-abuse-victims-are-open-to-settlement-talks/article_da940700-e9e4-11e6-8f72-63df69d17374.html

The image on the left is believed to be a recent photo of Archbishop Anthony Apuron in Fairfield, California, taken by a private investigator working for some of the plaintiffs in the child sex abuse cases against Apuron. The photo on the right shows Apuron when he was still leading the Archdiocese of Agana. Courtesy of attorney David Lujan

Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes sat with the Post for an interview Feb. 2. David Castro/Post

An attorney representing more than a dozen victims of sexual abuse by clergy members who once served in parishes on Guam said interest in a possible settlement by the Catholic Church is the first acknowledgement of guilt.

“A settlement is an explicit acknowledgement that the church, let’s say, is remorseful about what has happened to kids. When they pay money it’s an admission that they did something wrong,” attorney David Lujan said.

Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes said last week that he would consider an out-of-court settlement in the child sexual abuse cases. “I can say that we’d be happy to settle, but then again, that’s a legal negotiation,” Byrnes said.

The Catholic Church faces $60 million in potential payouts to alleged victims of child sexual abuse by members of the clergy while assigned to parishes on Guam, based on a dozen cases that have been filed recently in the District Court of Guam. Byrnes said the church was considering all options, including possible bankruptcy protection, acknowledging that the lawsuits would take a financial toll on the Archdiocese of Agana.

“My interest is my clients,” Lujan told the Post, acknowledging that he and his clients are open to settlement discussions. “If it’s meaningful, we will engage in it.”

Lujan: Priests are disrespecting the victims

Last week, Lujan, disclosed that his law firm had located Apuron, the former leader of the island’s Catholic Church, in Fairfield, California. Following that information, Byrnes confirmed that his predecessor continues to receive a pay check, because it's part of the church process to continue Apron's pay checks until accusations are proven, or until he's stripped of his title. “It’s nice that Byrnes disclosed that he knew where (Apuron) was, but it was a day later and a dollar short. They should have done it from the beginning,” Lujan said.

Apuron is undergoing a canonical trial that Lujan said is cloaked in secrecy. Several of Lujan’s clients have been approached directly by stateside priests seeking to take their depositions under the guise of the canonical trial process, the attorney said. “They are being very disrespectful. They refuse to go to their (the victims’) lawyers, contacting them directly. It goes to show that it’s hard to trust priests that go about disrespecting rules, thinking that they are God,” he said.

The attorney has said his clients will not participate in any depositions until the canonical trial and each of its proceedings are clearly explained and his questions are answered.

SNAP: Victims should get true justice and accountability

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) western director Joelle Casteix believes a settlement wouldn’t give victims true justice and accountability.

“I cannot speak for the victims in these cases, but I am sure that any out-of-court settlement would need to revolve around tangible actions, not dollar amounts,” Casteix said.

With Byrnes amenable to settlement discussions, SNAP is calling on him:

• to disclose Apuron’s secret personnel files and a list of all of Guam’s clerics who have been credibly accused of abuse;
• to ensure Apuron no longer has access to vulnerable populations; and
• to openly apologize to all of Guam’s victims of abuse and all of Guam’s Catholics who have been hurt.

“Perhaps that might be a start,” Casteix said.