In the Public Interest by Child Abuse Survivors and their Advocates in their Pursuit of Justice, Recognition, Recovery and Redress.
<< First < Previous Current Page "981" Next > Last >>
Article Category: 2007 February
Description: Lawyers representing the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and the dozens of plaintiffs suing the diocese over claims of sexu
Article originally prepared on : 28 February 2007
The session involved two dozen lawyers and at times included Bishop Robert Brom, head of the diocese, via speakerphone.
Diocese lawyers left the courthouse withoutcommenting. The plaintiffs' lawyers were cautious in their commentsafter the session ended about 7:30 p.m."It's been a long day," said lawyer Irwin Zalkin, who represents dozens of the plaintiffs.
"Things have not shut down," said AndreaLeavitt, who represents several of the plaintiffs. "If there is goodnews today, the good news is nobody walked away from each other."
The meeting was initiated by Los AngelesSuperior Court Judge Anthony Mohr, who on Wednesday afternoon summonedlawyers for the diocese and the plaintiffs to his courtroom. He hasbeen appointed to try to forge a settlement.
The diocese, which covers San Diego and Imperialcounties and consists of almost 1 million Catholics, faces about 150lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by clergy and other church workers. Thepotential value of the claims could approach $200 million.
The talks are occurring as the first trial inthe case is set to begin Wednesday. Adding to the urgency is Brom'sletter to the Catholic faithful last weekend saying the diocese mighthave to file for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy if no settlementof the cases was reached.
Such a move would immediately stop all litigation and the trial would not proceed.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs have criticized themove. They say Brom was trying to rattle their clients into a quicksettlement and attempting to avoid the trials – and a public airing ofthe allegations and how the diocese reacted over the years.
The lawyers say the diocese has a vast real estate portfolio, plenty of insurance and other assets to cover the claims.
Brom said in his letter that any settlement could not be so large as to jeopardize the "overall mission" of the diocese.
The lawyers met in a room down the hall fromMohr's chambers. In the hallway outside about a dozen plaintiffswaited, then departed the courthouse at dusk while the talks continued.
Greg Moran: (619) 542-4586; greg.moran@uniontrib.com If you wish to keep this article alive in the Internet Archive simply click the link below.
Click here to add this page to the Internet Archive
<< First < Previous Current Page "981" Next > Last >>
Select from these TFYQA archives
Contact us if you have data you want to preserve.
Tell others, share this page on : X | BlueSky | Mastodon.Social | Strangeminds.Social | Facebook
Find us on X.com || New ID on Facebook || BlueSky || Mastodon.Social || Strangeminds.Social
trauma informed human rights justice failed institutions UN Convention on Human Rights Rights of the Child and a Bill of Rights for Australia future evidence resilience not providing or representing a secular Australia autodidact
Hegemony: The authority, dominance, and influence of one group, nation, or society over another group, nation, or society; typically through cultural, economic, or political means.
.
If you found this information to be of assistance please don't forget to donate so that we can extend these resources to more survivors. These pages are focused on preserving survivor relevant information. Information is not provided as legal or professional advice; it is provided as general information only and requires that you validate any information via your own legal or other professional service providers.
You can directly support my work at here