Philadelphia archdiocese settles sexual abuse lawsuit

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has settled a lawsuit brought by a man whose priest-abuse complaints helped prosecutors bring the first child-endangerment case against a church official.

The 26-year-old man accused two Catholic priests and a teacher of molesting him at a northeast Philadelphia parish in the 1990s. They were all convicted, and the archdiocese’s longtime secretary for clergy, Monsignor William Lynn, was convicted over his handling of abuse complaints at a high-profile 2012 trial.

The man, identified in court documents as “Billy Doe,” has now settled his claims against the archdiocese and two former church officials, according to a court filing Tuesday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agreement is at least the third this year between the church and its accusers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today.