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| US Church agrees sex abuse payout | US Church agrees sex abuse payout |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The Roman Catholic Church in San Diego, in the US state of California, has agreed to pay $198m (£97m) to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy. | |
| The deal reportedly followed two days of talks between the diocese, lawyers and alleged victims. | The deal reportedly followed two days of talks between the diocese, lawyers and alleged victims. |
| It concludes more than four years of negotiations in the courts. | It concludes more than four years of negotiations in the courts. |
| In July, the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles agreed a record $660m deal to settle 508 abuse cases, some going back to the 1940s. | |
| The diocese of San Diego filed for bankruptcy protection six months ago, just before the first of 42 cases alleging sex abuse was due to come to trial in a civil court. | |
| It has been under pressure to reach a settlement since, the Associated Press news agency reports. | |
| San Diego Bishop Robert Brom said in a press statement: "The diocese has always been committed to resolving this litigation in a way that fairly compensates these victims of abuse and would still preserve the ongoing ministries and programmes of the Church. | |
| "We pray that this settlement will bring some closure and healing to the years of suffering experienced by these victims." | |
| The settlement is the second largest agreed by any diocese in the Roman Catholic Church. | |
| It works out at an average pay-out of $1.4m to each claimant. |