Court document lists $15 million in quiet sex-abuse settlements by London diocese

A decade-long court battle between the Roman Catholic Diocese of London and its insurance company has disclosed $15 million in largely secret settlements to people who sued priests for sexual abuse.

The payments — listed in a document filed with London’s Superior Court — went to 50 people accusing 12 priests in the diocese of sexual abuse.

The single-page document provides a rare glimpse into how a Canadian diocese dealt with a string of accusers by charting the millions quietly paid to them.

Settlements like these are usually kept secret by non-disclosure agreements. This court document lifts the veil on that process with a detailed financial portrait of a troubled diocese handling sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic church for years. When legal fees, mediation costs and the price of special reports are included, the total costs of the settlements for alleged abuses that occurred during an eight-year period jumps to $17.7 million.

The abuses that resulted in the settlements — committed against boys and girls as young as 6 — took place between 1963 and 1971, a period when the diocese’s insurance coverage is being disputed in court. The settlements were struck during the last 18 years.  (more...)

Court document lists $15 million in quiet sex-abuse settlements by London diocese

The details:

Accused priests. Millions in quiet payouts. And it was all kept on a list

And, not very far from the Cathedral:

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There you have the diocese I grew up in. I have a visceral aversion to ever returning there. Despite this, I somehow met my spouse, got married in the Church, and formed a family. You may understand that my door is tightly closed against the Gomorran rabble. We are a very tight-knit family.