KANSAS CITY (MO)
Insurance News Net

In sexual abuse lawsuit, neither the Kansas City diocese nor those suing it scored a clear win

By Judy L. Thomas, The Kansas City Star
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Oct. 19–Last week’s $10 million settlement cleared the deck of dozens of priest sexual abuse lawsuits in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese.

But in the end, neither side could declare victory.

The plaintiffs won no massive payout or declaration from the jury that the diocese had failed miserably to protect children.

By the same count, the diocese wasn’t cleared of wrongdoing, nor was it shielded from future litigation.

“It may sound like it was a good financial deal for both sides. … But it’s also really sad,” said Nicholas Cafardi, a law professor at Duquesne University and a former general counsel for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. “The difficult thing is to get closure for…