Archdiocese Of Seattle Pays Out $375K To Settle 2 Sex Abuse Claims

SEATTLE, WA —The Archdiocese of Seattle on Thursday announced that final monetary settlements had been reached for two separate claims related to allegations of sexual abuse in the 1970s and 1980s. The recent settlements totaled $375,000 paid to victims, according to the archdiocese.

The first case involved allegations of childhood sexual abuse by David Pearson, a volunteer at St. Joseph's Parish in Issaquah in the early to mid-1970s. Pearson is now deceased

The second case involved an allegation of sexual abuse against Father Paul Conn in approximately 1987 or 1988, when Conn served at Queen of Angels Parish in Port Angeles.

Conn was a parochial vicar at Queen of Angels from 1985 to 1988. The archdiocese said that in 1988, it learned of allegations of sexual abuse against Conn, and the allegations were reported to the police.

Conn was arrested, pled guilty to six counts of indecent liberties and was imprisoned. Conn no longer served as a priest after his arrest, and he was laicized in 2005, according to the archdiocese.

The archdiocese said Conn was one of 80 people on its original "List of Clergy and Religious Brothers and Sisters for Whom Allegations of Sexual Abuse of a Minor Have Been Admitted, Established or Determined to be Credible," when it first was published in 2016.

In a release, the archdiocese invited people to visit its Protect and Heal website to learn about the history of sexual abuse in the archdiocese.

"(Sexual abuse) peaked in 1975 and has since sharply declined," the archdiocese said in a statement. "The (Protect and Heal) website also outlines how since the early 1980s, the archdiocese has taken steps to prevent abuse, protect the community and help victims and their families heal."

The archdiocese said people should contact law enforcement if they suspect abuse by church personnel. In addition, anyone with knowledge of misconduct by a member of the clergy, an employee or a church volunteer is urged to call the archdiocesan hotline at 1-800-446-7762.