(17 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Irvine, California – 17 October 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Morgan Stewart, attorney for plaintiffs:
"I have spoken with the a great majority of our clients, and there’s a mixture of emotions. There’s relief. There’s appreciation which, you know, you can understand from a survivor who’s lived with this their entire life and and they’re appreciative of our work versus the bravery that they’ve shown is kind of overwhelming. There is satisfaction with the acknowledgment from the archbishop that they’re to blame and that they failed. There were obviously apologies back in 2007, but not for this set of victims and not for this set that came forward. So the the archbishop statement and acknowledgment of their fault and their harm goes a long way."
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2. SOUNDBITE (English) Morgan Stewart, attorney for plaintiffs:
"I think we had claims in this litigation spanning from the 1950s to near present time. They’re sexual abuse by members of the archdiocese or members of orders of the Catholic Church. Majority of them are priests, but there are individuals within schools and run by the archdiocese as well. All of these are for minors."
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3. SOUNDBITE (English) Morgan Stewart, attorney for plaintiffs:
"Obviously it was an adversarial proceeding, but I think our goals were aligned between us and the archdiocese. The archdiocese ultimately knew they were going to pay a significant sum of money. What that sum was obviously changed over the course of a year and a half. But it was with the goal to put these cases to rest and to to not go to a trial and not go to a situation where they wouldn’t end up paying plaintiffs. So in that respect, as opposed to earlier litigation that was driven up to near trial, the goal was different here. And I think to the archbishop’s credit, he wanted this done, to the general counsel of the archdiocese, she wanted this done. And and it was just the right amount of money with the right agreements in place."
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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Morgan Stewart, attorney for plaintiffs:
"One of our goals was was absolutely the highest amount possible, but with consideration that we do not push them into a bankruptcy process that we know will delay the process for two or three years. This group of plaintiffs tends to be older and tends to have been abused 30 or 40 or 50 years ago, depending on the span of time. And they don’t have as much time to wait this process out."
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5. SOUNDBITE (English) Morgan Stewart, attorney for plaintiffs:
"There are existing cases that will fall outside this, and archdiocese knows that. There’s probably not a lot, but there are cases that will fall after this. And there’s probably cases that will come up after. I Don’t know that the archdiocese has solved completely their issue. I think they have taken strides to to attempt to. But there are still those in the ministry who are not only accused priests, but there are those in the ministry who allowed those priests to exist. I think the hierarchy of the L.A. archdiocese – particularly the archbishop – is going to try and do its best. But I don’t know that it can completely solve the problem."
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STORYLINE:
The attorney who led negotiations with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles over clergy sexual abuse claims says victims are feeling relief and satisfaction after an $880 million was announced late Wednesday.
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