Tacoma Personal Injury Lawyer - Assault Injuries

San Diego Diocese Pays $198 million in Sexual Abuse Cases

Michael Myers — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:34:10 GMT

On September 7, 2007, The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to pay over $198 million to 144 alleged victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Earlier this year, the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection just hours before trial was scheduled to begin on 42 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. Bankruptcy could shield the diocese's assets, but a judge recently threatened to throw out the bankruptcy case if church officials didn't reach an agreement with the plaintiffs.

The Diocese of San Diego, with nearly 1 million Catholics and holdings throughout San Diego County, is by far the largest and wealthiest of the five U.S. dioceses to have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse.

This is the second-largest payment by a diocese. The largest payment was from the Los Angeles Archdiocese, which settled 508 cases for $660 million in July.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Michael Myers

Gang Violence Increases Assault Injuries

Staff Writer — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 08:14:07 GMT

A September article in The Seattle Times pointed out the disturbing upswing in gang violence recently in Seattle and across the country. The article reports that the number of gang-related assaults and cases investigated by the Seattle Police Department's gang unit has already surpassed the number of cases for all of last year. In the Seattle area alone, there are estimated to be 30 to 60 street gangs.

Of the 101 cases referred to Seattle gang detectives this year, 34 were aggravated assaults -- a criminal category that includes shootings, knifings, beatings and brandishing of weapons. Drive-by shootings accounted for 19 of the 34 aggravated assault cases.
According to police and gang experts, a combination of factors seems to be fueling the escalation in gang-related crime: increasing criminal sophistication, demand for drugs, demographics, migration patterns and generational conflicts play roles in the violence.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer