Lawyer for alleged victims says settlement talks with archdiocese are over

  BOSTON -- Talks between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and alleged victims of clergy sex abuse broke down and no settlement is likely, an attorney for those who've filed lawsuits against the church said Thursday.
  Both sides had agreed to a cooling-off period of more than 30 days -- without court motions and without news conferences -- to discuss a settlement of 240 pending cases. But that ended without a resolution, attorney Roderick MacLeish said.
  "We no longer feel as though we have a basis to settle these 240 cases and are going to proceed with litigation," he said.
  The archdiocese did not feel as though negotiations had reached a stalemate, spokesman the Rev. Christopher Coyne said.
  "We have not broken off discussion and the archdiocese is still prepared to meet and work toward a resolution, to bring about a settlement," Coyne said. "We're available, and we would be very disappointed if negotiations broke off."

  Also Thursday, the Boston Archdiocese suspended a Winchester priest after church officials became aware of an allegation of past sexual misconduct with a minor.
  MacLeish on Thursday filed a motion seeking to compel the archdiocese to release the records of 73 priests who have been accused of abuse.
  He also said he planned to go forward with a previously scheduled deposition of Cardinal Bernard Law on Aug. 5.
  "We had hoped that at the end of the cooling off period, a week ago, that there was enough reason to proceed with discussions, and it turns out they were not fruitful," MacLeish said.
  The records of the 73 priests were among those turned over to the state attorney general's office, but they have not been made public.

  In a related development Thursday, Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney said the archdiocese cannot use a technicality to escape the responsibility of paying up to $30 million to alleged sex abuse victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan if the disputed settlement is deemed legally binding.
  The archdiocese had agreed to pay $15 million to $30 million to 86 people who said they were victims of Geoghan, but then backed out after its finance council said the agreement was too costly.
  Church lawyers now argue even if the settlement is found to be legally binding, the archdiocese should not have to pay because the archdiocese was not specifically named. Cardinal Law is one of the 17 defendants.
  Sweeney, assigned to handle all clergy abuse lawsuits, said that Law is clearly listed in the settlement documents as the "corporation sole."
  "The curveball you have here is that Bernard Cardinal Law is a signatory ... and Bernard Cardinal Law is the corporation sole," said Sweeney.
  She did not make a specific ruling on whether the archdiocese would be held financially responsible.
  A trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday on the disputed settlement, which attorneys for the alleged victims claim should be enforced. __________