$15 million for victims of pedophile priests abuse in the Hunter Valley

[crocoduck]

Story

The diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, in the Hunter Valley, has agreed to out-of-court settlements for at least 78 alleged victims, with about 25 claims outstanding. The full number is likely to be much higher as neither the diocese nor the church's Professional Standards Office was able to provide figures for the number of such claims.

These financial agreements reflect child abuse alleged to have taken place between the 1960s and 1990s, involving at least 10 alleged perpetrators, including priests and teachers employed by the church.

Under the terms of the settlements, the church does not admit liability for the abuse, although many of the alleged victims value the agreement for at least acknowledging that their suffering took place.
"The church usually insists on a deed of release barring the victim from making further claims in relation to the assaults," a source familiar with the process said.
"They also usually require a non-disclosure clause in that deed, such that the victim cannot discuss the amount of the settlement."

Interesting statement: "The church does not admit liability for the abuse."
I would be interested to know if the priests were charged in each instance, and if the church provided evidence to the police. Or was it a case of being sent back to the monastery for "rehabilitation".

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[Glob]

Originally Posted by crocoduck

Interesting statement: "The church does not admit liability for the abuse."

As these are out-of-court settlements, it is to be expected that they would not admit liability.