Two plaintiffs in civil cases alleging they had been abused by priests from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have settled their lawsuits against the church for an undisclosed amount, according to their attorney.
The settlements concluded the cases of John Doe 10 and John Doe 187, who claimed they were the victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by archdiocese clerics. Malvern-based attorney Daniel Monahan represents the plaintiffs and said the terms of the settlement remain confidential at the wishes of his clients.
According to the complaints, Doe 187, a former altar boy at the Incarnation of Our Lord Parish, alleged that Father William Ayres abused him in different areas of the church, while Doe 10 claimed he was sexually abused in the bathroom of the St. Aloysius Academy in Bryn Mawr as a student by former priest Martin Satchell. Both incidents were alleged to have occurred in the 1990s, while the plaintiffs were minors.
The plaintiffs alleged that the archdiocese knew about patterns of abuse committed by priests, but did nothing to safeguard those children who were at risk. According to Monahan, the settlement itself is between the plaintiffs and the archdiocese, as all other defendants, including Ayres and Satchell, had been dismissed.
Conrad O’Brien attorney Nicholas M. Centrella represents the archdiocese and did not return a call seeking comment. The archdiocese’s communications office did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Monahan said the settlements were significant for the plaintiffs.
“One of the important things for these clients is a sense of empowerment, taking back some of the power they lost when they were children,” Monahan said.
According to Monahan, roughly 15 clergy abuse cases handled by his firm have been dismissed on statute of limitations issues, while an additional two are on appeal before the state Superior Court for similar issues. Doe 10 and Doe 187 are the first two to reach settlement.
First Two Phila. Clergy Abuse Lawsuits Settle | The Legal Intelligencer
No comments:
Post a Comment