Diocese, religious order pay $900K in sex abuse settlement

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, and a Pennsylvania-based religious order have agreed to pay $900,000 to settle 28 lawsuit claims of sexual abuse by a Franciscan friar.

The Tribune-Chronicle of Warren reports (http://bit.ly/2cl01tx ) a diocesan official confirmed the settlement regarding abuse claims made by victims of the late Brother Joseph Baker. Baker killed himself in 2013 after the diocese announced it had settled 11 claims made by people who said he abused them at Warren, Ohio, schools from 1986 to 1990.

Baker belonged to a Franciscan order based in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.

Three former leaders of the order were indicted in March, with Pennsylvania prosecutors alleging they’d engaged in a conspiracy that allowed Baker to abuse young people. The men have pleaded not guilty and face trial next year.

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Information from: The Tribune Chronicle, http://www.tribtoday.com

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