MONTANA
National Catholic Reporter
by Dan Morris-Young | Mar. 28, 2013
A weeklong “global mediation” slated to begin April 15 in Seattle will seek a broad settlement for two comprehensive sex abuse lawsuits pending against the diocese of Helena, Mont., and the Ursuline Sisters.
More than 360 plaintiffs, several insurance carriers, the Helena diocese and Ursuline Sisters will be represented at the Seattle gathering to negotiate culpability and potential financial awards for sex abuse claims against priests and women religious.
Some claims date to the mid-1930s, but the bulk are from the 1950s through 1970s, attorneys said.
If the process is successful, at least two major goals would be met, attorneys for both the diocese and claimants told NCR. First, the diocese would avoid bankruptcy. Second, a significantly larger portion of any ultimate monetary settlement would reach claimants rather than be consumed by costly, extended legal maneuvering.
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