Out-of-court Settlements like for Some Guam Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuits
By Haidee V Eugenio
The attorney representing dozens of people who have accused priests, the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America of child sexual abuse on Thursday announced plans to settle some of their lawsuits out of court by Sept. 1. Attorney David Lujan told U.S. District Court of Guam Magistrate Judge Joaquin Manibusan that he wants to postpone further court action, pending out-of-court settlements or alternative dispute resolution. "Nothing to lose, your honor, all to gain," Lujan told Manibusan during a status hearing Thursday morning in the U.S. District Court of Guam in connection with more than 50 clergy sex abuse cases. Manibusan congratulated parties in the case for finding an alternative dispute resolution. The judge said he will wait for Lujan's filing of a motion to stay and will not take further action until that motion has been filed. Attorney John Terlaje, along with U.S.-based lawyers representing the Archdiocese of Agana, said the church agrees with the move to go forward with the mediation process. Lujan said he's been working with Hope and Healing Guam, a program created by, but independent of, the Archdiocese of Agana, to provide professional counseling, treatment, spiritual healing, compensation and justice to clergy sex abuse victims. Lujan's clients have sued in federal court, asking for $5 million or $10 million in minimum damages each. Lujan said the amount of any out-of-court settlement depends on each plaintiff's case. Factors include the type of abuse, the frequency of the abuse, the length of the abuse, how long ago the abuse happened, and the effect the abuse has had on the victim, he said. He also told the judge that he has at least seven more clients who will file clergy abuse lawsuits in the days ahead. Lujan's announcement of a possible out-of-court settlement came a day after Hope and Healing Guam Executive Director Michael Caspino during a news conference said the program hopes to resolve all clergy sex abuse claims, and compensate victims, by summer's end. Hope and Healing Guam has appointed members of the board, led by former U.S. Attorney for Guam and the CNMI Alicia Limtiaco, who are about to start reviewing the claims. The Archdiocese of Agana faces 74 clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed so far in local and federal courts, along with three childhood sexual abuses that do not accuse priests or clergy. Attorney William Fitzgerald, counsel for retired Saipan Bishop Tomas Camacho, agreed with pursuing an alternative solution. Fitzgerald participated in the status conference via phone, along with U.S.-based counsels for the archdiocese. Attorney Patrick Civille, counsel for the Boy Scouts of America and its Aloha Council Chamorro District, which are named as defendants in many of the suits, said he had not head from his U.S. mainland counterparts about participating in mediation, but said he will contact them. Reporter Haidee Eugenio covers Guam's Catholic church issues, education and more. Follow her on Twitter @haidee_eugenio. Follow Pacific Daily News on Facebook/GuamPDN and Instagram @guampdn. Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.