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Clergy Abuse Victims Win $210 Million Settlement

After three years of legal battle, victims finally receive financial reparations.

More than 400 victims of clergy abuse in the Twin Cities will share a $210 million settlement after years of court proceedings, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The legal battle began in 2015, when the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis declared bankruptcy while abuse cases mounted, and finally concluded with Thursday’s settlement. St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson credited the case’s success in part to the Minnesota Child Victims Act of 2013, which allowed victims to report crimes that occurred decades prior. In the years that followed, the archdiocese identified 91 clergy members that were credibly accused of sexual abuse. Tearing up at a news conference, Anderson said that the settlement was “a story of trauma and triumph and the pursuit of truth and accountability.”