LOS ANGELES (CA)
France 24
AFP – The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to four men who alleged they were molested by a former priest in the 1970s, their lawyers said Tuesday.
Settlements were reached this month between lawyers for the men, the former priest involved, and LA’s Cardinal Roger Mahony, who is taking part in the conclave to choose a new pope despite protests from victims.
The long-delayed release last month of hundreds of files about abuse claims — which came at the same time as Mahony was stripped of his duties for mishandling the scandals — helped precipitate the settlements, a lawyer said.
The priest involved, Reverend Michael Baker, molested the four young victims repeatedly in the 1970s, including on overnight trips to San Diego, according to the legal documents.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.