MONTANA
KPAX
[with video]
MISSOULA – Now that a federal bankruptcy judge has approved a multi-million dollar agreement, parties in the suit accusing the Roman Catholic clergy of sex abuse in Montana will have several weeks to finalize the details of the settlement.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Terry Myers approved the 16-million dollar settlement in a court hearing in Missoula this week, the latest development in a case that first started in 2011.
The victims, most of whom are Native American, had complained the church’s personnel were involved in hundreds of cases of sexual abuse, some dating back more than 50-years. Most of the dispute centered over operations at the Ursuline Academy in St. Ignatius.
The Diocese of Helena had filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding early last year to clear the way for resolving the case through the settlement.
Under the plan approved by Judge Myers this week, a timeline has been set out for the parties to enact the settlement.
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