MONTANA
Missoulian
DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com
Although hundreds of sexual abuse victims who sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena stand to share a $20 million settlement, a pair of Missoula attorneys who represented the survivors say the non-monetary portion of the settlement – including a requirement that churches establish a “whistleblower” policy – is equally important.
Milt Datsopoulos and Molly Howard of the Missoula law firm Datsopoulos, MacDonald and Lind represented many of the plaintiffs in the case, which began in 2011 when more than 360 abuse victims filed suit against the clergy, alleging that more than 80 ordained priests, Ursuline Sisters and other church employees committed everything from rape to fondling to illegal photography of children.
The alleged abuse occurred from the 1940s to the 1970s at various parishes all over the Northwest, but a majority happened at the St. Ignatius Mission and the Ursuline Academy in St. Ignatius.
None of the alleged perpetrators were ever charged with a crime because of the statute of limitations.
In March, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a $20 million payment plan to settle the case, which was sealed to protect the identity of the victims. The settlement also included many non-financial stipulations, including:
• A requirement that the church post on its website the names of all known past and present alleged perpetrators of the diocese who are identified in the complaints.
• The diocese will never seek to direct, pay or hire any agent, employee or third party to retract, oppose or challenge the constitutionality or legitimacy of any reform of a civil or criminal statute of limitations, or to eliminate the existing mandatory child abuse reporting statutory requirements or other laws which serve to shield child sexual abusers from investigation, apprehension, prosecution and conviction in Montana or similar legislation or law in any other state or jurisdiction.
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