Maine Diocese Settles Abuse Claim for $200K

The lawyer for a woman who says she was molested by a Maine priest when she was a girl says the church has agreed to a $200,000 settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.

The woman says she was abused by the Rev. James Vallely in 1976 when she was 11 years old and one of the first female altar servers in Maine.

The Portland Press Herald says Vallely served throughout Maine, including South Berwick where the girl lived.

The diocese has previously acknowledged there were credible abuse allegations against Vallely. He died in 1997.

The woman’s attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, says the church knew or should have known Vallely was a sexual predator.

He says the victim did not sue the diocese, but was prepared to.