Breaking: Milwaukee Archdiocese settles sexual abuse claims for $21 million, after nearly five year litigation

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced Tuesday it will pay $21 million to compensate victims of childhood sexual abuse under a settlement agreement announced Tuesday — a deal that clears the way to ending its nearly 5-year-old bankruptcy.

Of the 575 men and women who filed sex abuse claims in the bankruptcy, 330 would receive a financial settlement.

It's also not known how many additional millions of dollars will go to pay fees of numerous attorneys and other professionals hired by the archdiocese and its creditors committee over the course of the case.

A $500,000 fund will be created to help abuse survivors obtain counseling and any other therapy they might need. Parishes will contribute to that fund.

continue at JS

Statement from Abp. Listecki:

Under the settlement agreement, the abuse survivors will receive $21 million. That is a large amount of money, but we all know that no amount of money could ever restore what was taken from these individuals. The money will be shared by abuse survivors of diocesan priests, but some payments will also be made to those who made claims against religious order men and women, and lay people who were employed by parishes or schools. More details about the settlement are posted at archmil.org (click here).

As part of this settlement, all parishes and schools will receive a legal release protecting them from future lawsuits. This was important because we wanted certainty that we could all move forward together in our ministry of Word, Worship and Service.

The settlement money will come from various sources, including insurance settlements and a settlement with the Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust. This settlement has been developed with a great deal of care and thought. The Trust assures us that as we move forward, it will continue to have the necessary resources to fulfill its duty of maintaining our nine Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic cemeteries for their sacred purpose and for the families with loved ones interred there.