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Settlement in St. Louis priest abuse case

By WTOP Staff

ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Archdiocese of St. Louis announced a confidential settlement in a priest sex abuse case scheduled to go to trial Monday but questioned the truth of a 22-year-old woman’s statement that she was molested as a young girl.

The settlement for an undisclosed amount of money in the suit against defrocked Catholic priest Joseph Ross also spared the archdiocese from possible public disclosure of further details on hundreds of abuse complaints against its employees over decades.

The woman, identified in court documents only as Jane Doe, had accused Ross of molesting her as a small girl between 1997 and 2001 while she attended the St. Cronan parish on the city’s south side. The archdiocese announced the settlement just as jury selection in the civil trial was set to begin.

Ross had previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an 11- year-old University City boy in 1988 but was assigned to St. Cronan after receiving medical treatment at a facility for priests and serving two years of probation. Five other alleged victims came forward in 2002 after Ross was removed from the clergy.

The woman’s lawyers had planned to introduce evidence from other abuse complaints after the archdiocese was ordered to turn over records in those cases. Church records detailed 240 complaints against 115 priests and other church employees dating back to the 1940s, though the records did not list the names of the accused.

In a statement elaborating on the settlement, archdiocese administrator Katie Pesha said the woman is afflicted with an unspecified “medical condition that causes her to falsify claims, exaggerate symptoms and make inconsistent statements.”

“Her own doctors and expert witnesses voiced doubts about her allegations and noted that they contained multiple inconsistencies,” said Pesha, executive director of communications and planning for the diocese. “We simply do not believe her allegations are true.”

Further, Pesha said, the woman had accused another person of rape in a separate incident in which criminal charges weren’t filed.

Jane Doe’s attorneys released their own statement affirming their belief in her accusations against Ross.

“Victimization is a terrible thing and what this young lady has experienced should never happen to any person,” attorney Ken Chackes said. “We believe a jury would have ultimately found that Father Ross raped Jane Doe 92. We must, however, take action to preserve her health and well-being. We agree with the Archdiocese that there is no healing for Jane Doe 92 that would come from a three-week trial of these difficult and personal facts.”

Had the trial occurred, it would have been only the second child sex abuse case against the St. Louis archdiocese to make it to a courtroom among dozens that have either been dismissed or settled in recent years. An annual archdiocese report in 2013 noted more than $10 million on costs connected to such cases since 2004, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“Settlements like this are a mixed bag,” said Barbara Dorris of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a victim advocacy group. “On one hand, a resolution like this usually helps victims move forward. At the same time, however, it prevents the complicity of Catholic officials from being publicly exposed in court.”

Potential witnesses in the trial included St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson; Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York who was auxiliary bishop in St. Louis when Ross was defrocked; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, Nebraska. Both Stika and Lucas were previously high-ranking church officials in St. Louis.

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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