The Catholic church and a woman who says a Nome priest molested her in the 1970s have agreed to the broad terms of a settlement in a civil suit she brought against the church, her attorney said, with a final deal expected to be in the $1 million range.
Attorney Ken Roosa said the details are still being hashed out.
Elsie Boudreau, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1, sued the Rev. James Poole, the Diocese of Fairbanks, the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province and the Alaska Jesuits in March last year. Boudreau accused Poole, a Jesuit, of kissing and fondling her dozens of times, starting in 1978 during summer visits to Nome and lasting until she was 16. The abuse included heavy petting and having her lie on top of him, the lawsuit says.
She said in a recent interview that she decided to sue after discussions with Fairbanks Bishop Donald Kettler about counseling bothered her. The bishop put parameters on paying for counseling, she said.
Boudreau said Tuesday that the settlement will allow her to move on.
"My hope would be when I look back at it years down the line I'm happy with the decision I made to settle at this point," she said.
The Diocese of Fairbanks and the Jesuits confirmed that they were working on a settlement with Boudreau.
"The diocese is desirous of settling cases that it can settle," said Ronnie Rosenberg, director of human resources for Fairbanks. "If we can reach an accommodation with someone that is reasonable and just, that would be the path that we can take."
Daily News reporter Nicole Tsong can be reached at ntsong@adn.com or 257-4450.
