Former priests cop legal bill

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By JOANNE McCARTHY Nov. 7, 2013

FORMER Anglican Dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence and another priest must pay a diocese legal bill of more than $450,000 after failing to overturn sexual misconduct findings against them.

Mr Lawrence declined to say how the bill to the diocese’s insurer would be paid, other than: ‘‘That’s to be worked out’’.

But he ruled out bankruptcy, saying it was ‘‘not an option’’.

Mr Lawrence and former Cardiff priest Graeme Sturt must pay the bulk of a legal bill of about $550,000 to the diocese’s insurer after a cost assessor’s recent decision.

This was in addition to their own legal costs of more than $200,000 after an unsuccessful appeal to the NSW Supreme Court to quash sexual misconduct findings against them.

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.