WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A Delaware Roman Catholic diocese and survivors of priest abuse say they've reached a $77.4 million lawsuit settlement after a marathon negotiating session.
Attorneys for the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., and the victims say they arrived at an agreement "in principle" Wednesday that provides $77.4 million in a trust to pay survivor claims, along with a number of non-monetary conditions, including the release of files related to abusive priests, The News Journal in Wilmington reported.
"After a seven-year fight, we are on our way to a fair compensation for survivors," said attorney Thomas Neuberger, who represents the majority of the approximately 150 plaintiffs with claims against either the diocese or one of its parishes. "This is an average payment of $530,000 for each survivor."
The agreement would bring to an end all pending lawsuits seeking compensation for sexual abuse by priests of the diocese and its parishes, the newspaper reported.
"At the beginning of the day, I thought there was no hope of a settlement, but we did make significant progress," diocese attorney Tony Flynn said. "We have reached an agreement in principle."
Neuberger said agreement on the issues related to the release of files on abusive priests and on the diocese agreeing to adopt policies and procedures to prevent abuse in the future "broke the logjam."
