BILLINGS — Claims from hundreds of clergy sex abuse victims in Montana are poised to move forward as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena seeks final approval for almost $20 million in settlement payments.
Representatives of both sides in the case said they expect the diocese’s plan to be confirmed during a hearing Wednesday before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Terry Myers in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The bankruptcy case was filed in January 2014 to resolve abuse claims that prompted two lawsuits in state court against the diocese in 2011.
The vast majority of victims supported the diocese’s bankruptcy reorganization proposal in a vote on the plan that ended last week, according to court documents and attorneys.
Approval by Myers would clear the way for adjudication of the abuse claims, so that final compensation amounts can be determined for each of the 365 victims who have come forward.
The majority of allegations have been against Jesuit priests at the Ursuline Academy and the St. Ignatius Mission in St. Ignatius, Montana. The abuse — which ranged from rape and fondling, to perpetrators taking sexual photographs of children — began in the 1930s and continued through the 1970s, according to court documents.
The average age of the victims at the time of abuse was 10 years old. About half the claimants are women, and most are now between 50 and 69 years old, according to court documents.
“What we see among the victims are pockets of abuse in certain time periods and certain geographic areas depending on where the abusers were residing,” said Molly Brown, an attorney for one of two large groups of victims. “It’s a broad range in terms of the nature and severity of abuse.”
Diocese spokesman Dan Bartleson said the end of the case will offer a chance for the church to rebuild.
“We feel like the faithful in the diocese in Helena will have a chance to begin to heal from this dark period in the history of the diocese,” Bartleson said. “There are a lot of dioceses in North America still dealing with sex abuse cases.”
Victims would be eligible for a share of $15 million from the diocese and its insurers and $4.45 million from the Ursuline Sisters of the Western Province.
Each claimant would receive at least $2,500. Payments would be weighted according to the severity and impact of the abuse.
Insurers for the diocese will contribute $14.4 million to a trust set up for payments to victims, Bartleson said. The diocese also has asked for court approval to take out a $3.5 million loan. Of that amount, $2 million would go to the trust and to cover administrative and operating expenses.
Only one church property with operations on it — the Legendary Lodge south of Seeley Lake — was sold as part of the bankruptcy, Bartleson said. He added that the church was able to lease the lodge from its new owners and will continue to run a summer camp program on the site.
A separate trust would be established for victims who come forward in the future.