Missouri diocese, religious order settle sex abuse lawsuit

A Catholic diocese and religious order in Missouri settled a lawsuit alleging a priest sexually abused a teenage boy in the 1970s, the victim's lawyer said. The $130,000 settlement of a suit filed in 2012 by an unidentified former Missouri man against the Rev. James Urbanic, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Missionaries of the Precious Blood was finalized this month, said Sara Brown, the attorney representing the plaintiff, referred to as John Doe M.R. The case had been scheduled for trial in January. Jack Smith, spokesman for the diocese, said its share of the settlement is $65,000, and Stephen Torline, attorney for Urbanic and the religious order, said the order, to which Urbanic belonged, paid an additional $65,000, the Kansas City Star reported Monday. The plaintiff alleged Urbanic sexually abused him in the mid-1970s while he was a student at Bishop LeBlond High School in St. Joseph. Urbanic was a local pastor and taught religion at the school.