Archdiocese reaches £12m settlement in alleged abuse cases

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, USA, has agreed to pay £12m (€17.7m) to settle lawsuits filed by 43 people who say they were abused by priests, a lawyer representing some of those plaintiffs announced today.

The settlement was the result of talks mediated by US Magistrate Judge William Garfinkle in Bridgeport, attorney Jason Tremont said.

The alleged abuse dated back as far as the 1960s and involved 14 priests or former priests, at least four of whom are now dead, Tremont said.

“By giving victims a voice, we can change the behaviour of the church and finally force the archdiocese to acknowledge responsibility for the past,” Tremont said in a statement.