Portland Diocese Settles Sex Abuse Suit for $1.2M

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has settled a lawsuit by six men who said church leaders concealed sex abuse allegations against a former priest.

More details of the $1.2 million settlement are expected to be released at a Monday morning news conference from Boston lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented dozens of sex abuse victims.

The lawsuits were filed in November by men from Maine, New Hampshire and New York. They accused the diocese of covering up abuse by Rev. James Vallely. The men alleged Vallely sexually abused them as children from 1958 to 1977.

Garabedian has said the Portland diocese had knowledge of multiple accusations but didn't remove Vallely from ministry.

Vallely died in 1997.