Estimates Are Submitted In Church Abuse Suits

In a step aimed at resolving more than 400 sex-abuse lawsuits filed against the Boston Archdiocese, lawyers for alleged victims submitted rough estimates Friday of how much money they are seeking.

The undisclosed figures were submitted by about two dozen lawyers and were based on descriptions of the alleged abuse, how alleged victims were hurt and how much money the lawyers believe their clients should receive.

Lawyers for the archdiocese have until Jan. 15 to respond. If the two sides are not too far apart, the lawsuits could be sent to mediators to oversee settlements.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers would not reveal details of the estimates or say what they expect the combined total to be.

Attorney Carmen Durso, who represents 35 plaintiffs, said the lawyers submitted a range of amounts they are willing to negotiate for their clients as a group.

The church doesn’t “so much care how much John Smith who was victimized is asking for. What’s important for them is to get a handle on the total amount that all the plaintiffs are looking for,” Durso said.

Attorney Jeffrey Newman, whose firm represents 222 alleged victims, said the archdiocese’s lawyers will probably submit the estimates to the Roman Catholic Church’s insurance carriers to see how much they will cover.

The archdiocese’s lead lawyer, Wilson Rogers Jr., did not return a call seeking comment.

Separately, the personnel files of four more priests were released Friday by plaintiffs’ attorneys. The files include allegations of sexual abuse made against them and the archdiocese’s handling of them.