Caspino: Some abuse cases resolved

By Gaynor D. Daleno
Guam Daily Post
May 13, 2017

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/caspino-some-abuse-cases-resolved/article_2b362d50-370b-11e7-b086-bf2dc2d2989d.html

HOPE AND HEALING: Director Mike Caspino of the Hope and Healing program speaks during a press conference to announce Alicia Limtiaco as chairperson of the Hope and Healing board at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa on Sunday, April 23. Photo by David Castro

Claims from victims of decades-old sex abuse at the hands of former Guam priests have recently been resolved, but the outcome, including whether money was paid, and how much money was paid, won’t become publicly known.

Mike Caspino, director of the Hope and Healing program, which was recently established at the request of the Archdiocese of Agana, said victims in the recently resolved claims reached out to the nonprofit directly and are not represented by lawyers.

Additional victims are in the process of getting their claims resolved through Hope and Healing, he said.

Caspino said the victims who have resolved their cases don’t want their identities or the details of the resolution known to the public.

He said he couldn’t provide specifics, but said there are "multiple" claims that have either been resolved or are in the process of getting resolved.

He said some of the victims who have filed cases – in local or federal courts – also received help from Hope and Healing, but the assistance involved mostly counseling. None of the cases resolved so far are from alleged victims who are represented by attorneys, he said.

Hope and Healing has been given the mandate by the archdiocese to help the victims, and it’s meant to be independent from archdiocesan control.

For the sex-abuse cases filed in court, Caspino reiterated the nonprofit’s previously stated goal to have them resolved "by the summer."

The archdiocese had previously announced a $1 million seed money for Help and Healing to help the victims and resolve their claims.

Caspino said he couldn’t say how the archdiocese intends to fund the remainder of the monetary claims.

In the more than 60 court cases, many of the lawsuits are seeking monetary damages of between $5 million to $10 million each.

At a conservative $5 million sought per case, the total estimated claim for damages stands at $300 million for the more than 60 victims who filed suit.

That’s more than double the estimated $132 million in total assets of the Guam Catholic Church, and the archdiocese has included Catholic churches and parochial schools in the count.

In mid-march, 30 individuals, mostly former altar boys, had filed suit against the Archdiocese of Agana. On Thursday, the number increased to 61.

Alicia Limtiaco, Guam's previous top federal prosecutor, was named chairwoman of the board of Hope and Healing last month. Limtiaco is the previous U.S. Attorney for Guam and the Northern Marianas. She resigned recently after the Trump administration asked holdover U.S. attorneys from the Obama administration to resign.