Settlement Is Near in Priest Molestation Case

Lawyers worked into the early hours Wednesday but failed to settle 23 molestation cases out of the now-defunct St. Anthony’s Seminary in Santa Barbara.

“The bottom line is, we’re close,” said attorney John Manly, who represents one of the people suing the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the Franciscan Friars of California, which ran the seminary, alleging a failure to protect them from predatory priests.

A deal would mark the first settlement among the more than 560 claims against the archdiocese. The cases could settle for more than $1 million each.