Minnesota Clergy Abuse Victims Favor Survivors’ Panel Plan

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- An overwhelming majority of victims of clergy sex abuse
in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis favor a compensation plan
submitted by a creditors' committee.

Attorneys representing the victims say 406 people voted on competing
compensation plans. Of those voting, 94 percent favored a plan by the survivors'
committee over one submitted by the archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy
protection in 2015.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda says the balloting does not necessarily dictate the
final plan.

The plan from the archdiocese includes a fund of more than $155 million for
abuse victims who filed claims in bankruptcy court. The bulk of that money comes
from insurance payments. A plan by the survivors' committee calls for the
archdiocese to increase its contributions to the victims' fund to at least $80
million.