ST. CLOUD, Minn. (Star Tribune) — A settlement agreement says the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud in Minnesota will pay sexual abuse victims $22.5 million and file for bankruptcy.
Terms of the agreement were announced Tuesday. Some 70 victims say they were abused by 41 priests in cases that date back to the 1950s. The Star Tribune reports attorney Jeff Anderson negotiated the settlement agreement and said it gives validation to the victims, some of whom Anderson first represented in lawsuits filed in the 1980s.
St. Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler said in a statement that he apologized on “behalf of the Church for the harm” that victims suffered. Kettler says he hopes the settlement will help heal the victims.
