San Francisco archdiocese settles 15 priest abuse claims for $21.2 million

Friday, June 10, 2005 | 11:44 a.m.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed Friday to settle 15 pending lawsuits involving allegations of sexual abuse by priests under its jurisdiction for $21.2 million, according to a statement from the church.

Under the settlement, which was brokered by a retired judge who is mediating 60 separate cases against the San Francisco archdiocese, the archdiocese will pay out $6.6 million, and the rest of the money will come from its insurers.

The 15 cases represent about one-quarter of the priest abuse lawsuits naming the San Francisco archdiocese as a primary defendant - and 10 of them involve allegations against one former San Jose priest, the late Rev. Joseph Pritchard.

"During the course of the recent trials and settlement discussions, we have heard the victims' anger and grief over the impact that the abuse has had on their lives and the lives of their families and friends," said San Francisco Archbishop William Levada. "It is our hope that the settlement of these cases will facilitate the process of healing for these victims and also set the stage for a global settlement of the remaining cases."

San Jose attorney Robert Mezzetti, Jr. said the court-appointed mediator, retired Judge Coleman Fannin, deserves the credit for persuading the insurance companies to pay up instead of having the cases proceed to trial.

"The case did not settle because of the archbishop. The case settled because of the efforts of Judge Finn and dealing with the insurance companies," Mezzetti said.

Mezzetti said confidentiality rules prohibit him from saying how much the plaintiffs - 11 men and four women who are now in their early-to-mid 40s- will each receive under the settlement.