Clergy Abuse Victims Vote Against Archdiocese Compensation Plan
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An overwhelming majority of victims of clergy sex abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis favor a compensation plan submitted by a creditors' committee.
Attorneys representing the victims say 406 people voted on competing compensation plans. Of those voting, 94 percent favored a plan by the survivors' committee over one submitted by the archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda says the balloting does not necessarily dictate the final plan.
The plan from the archdiocese includes a fund of more than $155 million for abuse victims who filed claims in bankruptcy court. The bulk of that money comes from insurance payments. A plan by the survivors' committee calls for the archdiocese to increase its contributions to the victims' fund to at least $80 million.