Just as the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans was beginning to ask victims of clergy sexual abuse to approve a settlement plan assuring them of $180m, the church has now guaranteed $230m – enough to persuade certain attorneys who were opposed to striking a deal to instead favor settling.
The church’s largest insurer, Travelers, for now has evidently held out against a settlement. However, the Guardian and local reporting partner WWL Louisiana understand that the insurer is in active talks to contribute an amount of money that could substantially increase the worth of the proposed settlement.
Either way, Monday’s higher offer was a long-rumored move by the archdiocese to appease a sizable bloc of sexual abuse victims who had been advised by their attorneys to reject the smaller offer in a voting process that runs through 29 October.
Some of those attorneys issued a statement on Monday saying their “dogged efforts” had produced a “superior deal … to resolve this bankruptcy at long last”, and that they would be encouraging all of their clients “to vote in favor of this amended plan” thanks to the “current and certain funding now in place” for it.