SHUTTING THE DOOR

$13M Settles L.A. Priest Sex Abuse

$740 million spent in litigation.

The final remaining clergy sex-abuse charges against the nation’s largest archdiocese have been settled. The plaintiffs' attorneys announced Tuesday that the Los Angeles Archdiocese had reached a $13 million settlement in 17 lawsuits. Eleven men were set to testify that they were abused between the ages of 7 and 12 by Father Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera of Mexico and that Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney allowed Rivera to flee to his native country. Each of these men will receive $1 million, while six other victims will receive lesser sums. A flood of lawsuits against the archdiocese began in 2002. More than 500 victims have received monetary retribution. The Catholic Church has spent more than $740 million on litigation.