MISSOURI
KCUR

[with audio]

A surprise ending to what may have been a landmark set abuse case against the Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Diocese.

Both sides reached a settlement in the middle of jury selection as trial was to begin in Jackson County Circuit Court at Independence, MO.

A statement from the diocese said, in part, that while facts of the case remain unclear, “the tragedy of it is certain.”

For the first time, at least in Missouri, an arm of the Catholic hierarchy had been sued alleging wrongful death stemming from sexual abuse.