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Dubuque Archdiocese to pay $4.7M in abuse settlement

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By The Associated Press | Thursday, April 10, 2008 |

DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque announced today that it will pay $4.7 million to settle 18 sexual abuse claims against former priests.

The archdiocese and lawyers for the 18 individuals who claimed they were abused released statements outlining the settlement.

The statement from attorneys Thomas Staack and Chad Swanson in Waterloo said the settlement was reached on March 24 after a mediation session earlier in the month. No lawsuits were filed by the individuals, who each provided written statements, were questioned under oath and underwent two psychological evaluations.

The $4.7 million will be distributed equitably based on the nature of the abuse, but on an average per-person basis, each individual would receive $261,111.

Besides the monetary settlement, the archdiocese agreed to begin or continue activities to raise awareness of the effects of sexual abuse on minors and to encourage victims to come forward and seek help, the archdiocese said in a statement.

Those activities include the continued publication of notices in the Archdiocesan newspaper and several secular publications inviting persons who were sexually abused by church officials to come forward and encouraging them to contact law enforcement. The archbishop will continue to write to victims and meet privately with them if requested, and the archdiocese will pay for up to 12 counseling or therapy sessions during this calendar year.

In exchange for the terms of the settlement, the individuals agreed not to file a lawsuit against the archdiocese.

Archbishop Jerome Hanus issued a written apology included in the archdiocese’s statement.

“I strive to appreciate the pain and the hurt involved. Many of you also indicated the effect of abuse on spouses and other members of your family. I extend this apology to them as well,” Hanus said.

“I want to express and offer support for all survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Archdiocese personnel,” Hanus said.

Since 2004, the archdiocese has settled at least 47 different sexual abuse claims or lawsuits, paying out at least $12.3 million.

The latest settlement included claims against nine former priests with some cases of alleged abuse dating back to the 1940s.