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In what may be the largest per capita clergy abuse settlement ever, nine victims will receive $36.8 million from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's Northern Texas/Northern Louisiana Synod and two former officials. The civil case follows the conviction of Gerald P. Thomas, former pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Marshall, Texas, for sex crimes against children. An additional $32 million out-of-court settlement was reached before the trial ended. Total awards amounted to nearly $69 million awarded to 14 victims.

Individual awards ranged from $50,000 to $9.8 million depending on medical needs and the amount of abuse suffered. The settlements involve Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Ohio, a Michigan candidacy committee that ordained Thomas, Good Shepherd Church, the Northern Texas/Northern Louisiana Synod, and Bishop Mark Herbener of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod and his assistant Earl Eliason. According to the ELCA, the 5 million-member denomination will pay $8 million of the total settlement.

Thomas was first accused of misconduct in a West Texas church, where he served as an intern. The Marshall News Messenger writes, "Among the information the synod did not disclose was that Thomas had given tequila shots to two teenage boys and that the boys had found a homosexual pornographic video in the parsonage when Thomas served as a ministry intern."

The Associated Press writes,

Other terms of settlements reached by plaintiffs' attorney Edward Hohn include apologies to victims and parishioners nationwide; development of a strategy for preventing and handling sexual misconduct, including a review of all current ministers; and creation of a denomination-wide national reporting system for sexual abuse.

"Just as important today are the non-economic agreements, which will hopefully not only be the start of a new reformation for the Lutheran Church but will also serve to raise the bar nationally for all institutions charged with public trust over our children," Hohn said.

The ELCA says, "People who seek to become ordained ministers in the ELCA go through an extended process of study and evaluation, [spokesman John] Brooks said. To the church's knowledge, no other pastor who completed this process has ever been accused of the conduct for which Thomas was convicted in Texas. … 'Still, in a continuing effort to guard against such tragedies, the ELCA will review its guidelines and procedures for candidacy for the ordained ministry,' Brooks said."

More on Lutheran and other church abuse:

• Victims abused by Lutheran minister win $37 million award | Victims of a former Lutheran minister who sexually molested boys won a jury award of nearly $37 million Thursday, bringing the total payout in the case to about $69 million. (Associated Press)
  
  
• Jury awards $36.8 million to plaintiffs | United States judicial history was made Thursday in Judge Bonnie Leggat's 71st District Court as a verdict was read and $36.8 million awarded to young plaintiffs who were sexually abused by a former Marshall Lutheran pastor. (Marshall News Messenger, Texas)
  
  
• Plaintiffs get $8 million in ELCA portion of Texas civil case settlement | Fourteen plaintiffs and their attorneys will get $8 million in a settlement of a civil suit against the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Initially, all of the ELCA portion of the settlement will be paid from insurance funds, said John R. Brooks, a spokesman for the ELCA. In reaching the settlement, Brooks said the ELCA churchwide organization admitted to no wrongdoing. (ELCA news service)
  
  

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April (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48