While the Archdiocese of Agana has yet to compensate nearly 300 Guam clergy sex abuse survivors, it has already paid or been ordered to pay some $3.9 million of the $4.38 million in attorneys' and real estate professionals' fees and costs in its nearly two-year bankruptcy case, the Guam Daily Post reported. These figures are based on a review of proposed, awarded and paid amounts contained in documents filed in the District Court of Guam in 2019 and 2020. The numbers include recent fourth interim fee applications that the federal court will hear in January, amounting to about $480,601. The fourth interim fee applications cover bills for services rendered only from Aug. 1 to Nov. 30, 2020. After review and scrutiny of the proposed billings, inclusive of fees and reimbursable costs, District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood reduced many of the amounts from the first three billing cycles, saying the higher the legal fees, the lower the amount that could go to clergy sex abuse survivors. Other defendants in clergy sex abuse cases — including the Sisters of Mercy, the Capuchin Franciscans and the Boy Scouts of America — already have settled with some of the abuse survivors. The settlement amounts have been kept confidential. The archdiocese and other defendants are still in mediation to try to settle the abuse lawsuits, and the billing meters will continue to tick. If settlements fail, the clergy sex abuse lawsuits against the archdiocese could go to trial.
