Archdiocese settles 15 Catholic clergy abuse cases for almost $1.6 million

Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said he was"deeply grateful" to the mediators "and I sincerely hope that each ofthe 19 individuals who participated begin to truly heal."

The settlements ranged from $30,000 to $150,000 and totaled $1,585,000, the Judicial Arbiter Group said in a press release.

Archbishop Chaput said in addition that "we have settled claimsof three other individuals who approached us directly and who did notfile a lawsuit to have their claims considered." He did not reveal theamount of those settlements.

He said that in the mediation process "I made myself availablepersonally to listen to each person who desired my presence as theydescribed the incidents that led to the filing of their lawsuits.Through this process I personally met with 18 plaintiffs."

The mediation process was initiated last May after Judge Richard W.Dana, who co-founded the Judicial Arbiter Group in 1984, approachedArchbishop Chaput and suggested forming an outreach panel to mediateand help settle sex abuse lawsuits before they go to court.

The panel was composed of Dana, vocational rehabilitationspecialist John Dahlberg and Auraria Campus Police Chief HeatherCoogan. The Auraria Campus houses three institutions of highereducation – a community college, a state college and the Denver branchof the University of Colorado – on a single site.

"The purpose of this panel process was to reach out to theplaintiffs to help aid in their healing and, as part of that program,to resolve as many of these cases as possible," the press release said.

It said one law firm with cases against the archdiocese did notparticipate in the panel process, but all 19 clients represented byMiami lawyers Jeffrey M. Herman and Adam D. Horowitz chose to appearbefore the panel. It said 15 of those reached mediated settlements andthe other four retain the right to take their cases to court.

It said Archbishop Chaput's presence was an important part ofthe mediation. "The process would not have had this success without hisdirect involvement," it said.

"Without the positive attitudes manifested by Mr. Herman, eachof the plaintiffs and Archbishop Chaput, these mediated settlementswould not have been achieved," it said.

The Judicial Arbiter Group specializes in helping people findalternative ways of settling disputes, including mediation and bindingarbitration, before they go to court.

Archbishop Chaput said he has asked the outreach panel "toremain available to any other plaintiffs who may wish to have theirclaims evaluated by this panel."