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	Archdiocese May Be Ready for New Victim Negotiations By Jessica Fargen Boston Herald [Boston MA] May 21, 2005 The remaining 170 alleged priest sex-abuse victims who are waiting for resolution on their claims could see movement soon, the Archdiocese of Boston said. The archdiocese yesterday said it received $8.5 million from St. Paul Travelers, an insurance company it used in the 1980s. The archdiocese held off on negotiations on the 170 new abuse lawsuits until settling with Travelers. Alleged victims who missed the deadline for the first $85 million settlement reached last year have been waiting in "emotional limbo," said Anne Webb, a member of Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests. "When a person is waiting for this to happen, it's really hard on the survivor," she said. The St. Paul Travelers deal was the second of two the archdiocese was waiting for before launching negotiations with the accusers. In March, the church reached a$20 million settlement with Lumbermens Mutual Casualty. "With these matters resolved, the archdiocese hopes that it will soon be in a position to begin discussions with plaintiffs' counsel about how to resolve the pending cases," said the Rev. John Connolly, special assistant to the archbishop, in a statement. Mitchell Garabedian, who represents 55 new claimants, said he is eager to start talks but remains "extremely guarded." "Just because they've settled with the insurers doesn't mean they are going to offer an amount that victims will accept," he said.
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