KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV
Documents via BishopAccountability.org:
Arbitrator’s Modified Final Award
Judge’s Order Sending the Complaint to Arbitration
Complaint, Including the Settlement Documents
Our nonmonetary feature with links to the KC nonmonetaries and other examples
By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
An arbitrator has ordered the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese to pay an additional $1.1 million to dozens of victims of clergy sex crimes because the diocese failed to meet its promises for handling abuse cases.
The diocese is facing the penalty for not doing more to stop now-defrocked priest Shawn Ratigan from taking pornographic pictures of young parishioners after the diocese had pledged more than five years ago to prevent future abuse cases.
The diocese and Bishop Robert Finn, who has previously admitted in a criminal court that he failed to report child abuse by Ratigan to state authorities, are seeking to have the arbitrator’s order nullified. The document was unsealed in late June and KCTV5 learned about it on Tuesday.
“As best we can tell, there’s never been a case like this in which victims have successfully held a bishop responsible in court for breaking the promises he made during a settlement,” said Barbara Dorris, outreach director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
Dorris said the amount of the award is significant because it will deter more Catholic officials from breaking the promises they make to victims.
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