(AP) -- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will pay nearly $10
million to settle four cases alleging abuse by a now-defrocked priest
who told Cardinal Roger Mahony nearly 30 years ago he had molested
children, attorneys confirmed on Tuesday.
The cases involving ex-priest Michael Baker span 26
years from 1974 to 2000. Two were set for trial next month. A judge had
said attorneys for the plaintiffs could pursue punitive damages at
trial.
The cases were settled this week.
Two of the claims named Mahony and alleged he
didn't do enough to stop Baker from abusing children, said plaintiff's
attorney John Manly.
Mahony retired as Los Angeles archbishop in 2011
and was rebuked by his successor, Archbishop Jose Gomez, last month
after confidential church files showed the cardinal worked behind the
scenes to shield molesting priests and protect the church from scandal.
Mahony, who is in Rome helping select the next
pope, was aware of the settlement, said J. Michael Hennigan, an
archdiocese attorney.
"We have for a long, long time said that we made
serious mistakes with Michael Baker and we had always taken the position
in these cases that whatever Baker did we were responsible for," he
said. "That was never an issue."
Baker could not be reached for comment.
Two of the plaintiffs, a pair of brothers, will get
$4 million each, and the two others will get nearly $1 million each,
Manly said.
Confidential files show that Baker met with Mahony in 1986 and confessed to molesting two boys over a nearly seven-year period.
Mahony removed Baker from ministry and sent him for
psychological treatment, but the priest returned to ministry the
following year with a doctor's recommendation that he be defrocked
immediately if he spent any time with minors.
Despite several documented instances of being alone
with boys, the priest wasn't removed from ministry until 2000 after
serving in nine parishes.
Baker was convicted of child molestation in 2007 and paroled in 2011.
"The person who could have stopped this in its
tracks and prevented three out of four of these children from being
sexually assaulted is now sitting in Rome voting for the next vicar of
Christ," said Manly. "I find that terribly troubling."
Mahony has apologized repeatedly for his handling
of clergy abuse cases. The cardinal was sequestered for the papal
conclave and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The archdiocese settled more than 500 clergy abuse lawsuits in 2007 for a record-breaking $660 million.
Baker was charged in 2002 with 34 counts of
molestation involving six victims, but those charges were dismissed
because they fell outside the criminal statute of limitations.
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