Massachusetts

Lawsuit Alleging Abuse by Falmouth Priest Settled for $400K

The lawsuit filed by two men alleged Daniel Cronin, the retired Archbishop of Hartford and former bishop of the Diocese of Fall River, "knew or should have known" of the abuse

Two Massachusetts men who alleged they were sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest have each received $200,000 settlements.

Their attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, announced the settlements Tuesday.

The Cape Cod Times reports the lawsuit was filed in June 2015 by two men who had been altar servers at St. Anthony's Parish in Falmouth from the late 1970s until the mid-1980s.

Their lawsuit named Daniel Cronin, the retired Archbishop of Hartford and before that the bishop of the Diocese of Fall River.

The suit alleged Cronin "knew or should have known" that the Rev. Maurice Souza was abusing the boys.

Souza died in 1996 at age 83.

As part of the settlement, Cronin neither admitted nor denied that Souza molested the boys.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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