Nine sexual abuse claims recently settled with Archdiocese total $5.4 million
The Archdiocese of Chicago recently settled out of court with nine people who accused eight Chicago-area priests of sexually abusing them decades ago.
The settlements, totaling $5.4 million, were all reached in the last two weeks, according to the attorneys representing the victims.
“Nobody’s paying that kind of money for something that didn’t happen,” said Marc Pearlman, one of the victims’ attorneys, during a Thursday news conference announcing the settlements. “This is validation that it happened.”
The allegations date as far back as the early 1970s and as recently as the late 1990s. The victims’ ages at the time of the abuse range from 6 to 14 years old.
The list of accused priests, most of whom have died, and their Chicago-area parishes are:
- Michael Cepon, Saint Mary of the Assumption Church in Chicago
- Russell Romano, Quigley Preparatory Seminary South High School in Chicago
- Clement Carroll, Our Lady of Peace School in Chicago
- William Devereux, St. Martha of Bethany Church in Morton Grove
- James Sayers, St. Joseph Parish/St. John Neumann Parish in Homewood
- Norbert Mayday, Our Lady of the Ridge in Chicago Ridge
- David Braun, St. Francis Xavier Campus of Saints JFX School in Wilmette
- William O’Connor, St. Paul Catholic Church in Chicago Heights
Four of the eight priests — Cepon, Carroll, Sayers and O’Connor — are not currently listed on the Archdiocese’s list of credibly accused clergy members. Two of the settlements involved allegations against Mayday.
The Archdiocese of Chicago did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two firms representing the eight victims — Jeff Anderson & Associates and Pearlman and Anderson — have been handling sexual abuse settlements for over 25 years. They’ve represented hundreds of victims and secured over $130 million in settlements.
“What these settlements represent to our clients is some sort of measure of justice,” said Melissa Anderson, one of the other victims’ attorneys. “And our hope with all of our clients is that by the time we’re able to resolve their case, they’re in a better place at the end than they were at the beginning.”
The victims’ legal team also unveiled a new searchable database documenting the Catholic clergy members accused of sexual abuse or misconduct involving minors worldwide.