Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Personal Injury Law Blogs -> North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

Personal Injury Law

: North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

Charlotte Catholic Diocese Settles North Carolina Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuit for $1 Million

The insurance company for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte has agreed to pay $1 million settle North Carolina sexual abuse allegations that former altar boy Robby Price was sexually abused by Rev, Robert Yurgel in 1999 at St. Matthew Catholic Church. The diocese will also pay Price, now 25, another $47,500 for counseling medication for the next five years.

According to one of his North Carolina sex abuse attorneys, it wasn?t until 2007 that Price was able to tell his parents about that the priest had molested him.

Yurgel was arrested in 2008. After pleading guilty to a second-degree sex offense, he was sentenced in February 2009 to almost eight years in prison.

Despite agreeing to settle, the Charlotte diocese is not admitting to or denying liability. Diocese officials say the weren?t aware of any misconduct allegations against Yurgel until his arrest.

Price says that the priest started molesting him when he was 14. At Yurgel?s sentencing last year, Price told the priest that he continues to experience nightmares and flashbacks over what happened.

Sex Abuse Lawsuits
A criminal conviction against one?s abuser can force the perpetrator to pay for his/her crime behind bars. However, that will not make the pain, suffering, and trauma go away for the victim. The injuries inflicted by any type of sexual abuse can take longer than a lifetime to heal. Physical injuries, emotional issues, sexual issues, depression, eating disorders, relationship problems, suicidal tendencies, and other harmful consequences can result from being sexually abused. The injuries can be further compounded if the abuser is someone that the victim knows and/or is someone who had authority over them in some way.

Charlotte Catholic diocese to pay $1 million to molestation victim, HeraldOnline, May 7, 2010

Priest sex abuse suit settled for $1 million, Charlotte Observer, May 7, 2010

Related Web Resources:

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Vatican's Handling of Clergy Sex Abuse Gets Failing Grade in Survey, Politics Daily, May 4, 2010

Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Full post as published by North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog on May 07, 2010 (boomark / email).