IOWA
Dyersville Commercial
Wed Sep 4, 2013.
By Will Cushman
Staff Writer • will.cushman@wcinet.com
A law firm representing sexual abuse victims of priests in the Archdiocese of Dubuque and the Archdiocese itself revealed last Wednesday that the Archdiocese paid $5.2 million to 26 victims in a recent settlement.
Chad Swanson, of Dutton, Braun, Staack and Hellman law firm in Waterloo, said in a press release that the claims came from 22 men and four women who were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of 10 Archdiocese priests from the 1940-70s. In addition to the monetary payments, the Archdiocese agreed to pay for up to 12 counseling sessions for each of the victims.
“The settlement is significant and the amount of money included in the settlement may appear substantial, but on a per person basis, it will never be sufficient to compensate these claimants for all of the years of living with the shame, embarrassment and stigma of the abuse,” Swanson said in a press release. “The injuries to this group of survivors cannot be overstated. The settlement does offer the opportunity for each survivor to continue or start their personal healing process.”
In its own release, the Archdiocese offered a public apology to the victims.
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