BOSTON  After two days of secret negotiation, lawyers for more than 500 alleged victims of clergy sex abuse and the Boston Archdiocese may have reached an $85 million settlement, The Associated Press reported.
The tentative agreement was reached late Sept. 8, but no signed agreement has been presented.
The Rev. Christopher Coyne, spokesman for the archdiocese, issued a brief statement Sept. 9, saying no settlement had been reached, but that "all parties are still working towards a settlement offer and are hopeful it can get done." He called reports of the settlement "premature"
The two parties met with a mediator Sept. 7-8, to hammer out the settlement. Lawyers involved in the talks did not return repeated calls seeking comment, the news service reported.
Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley attended the meeting Sept. 7 at the invitation of the mediator and stayed until it ended after midnight. O'Malley vowed to bring a speedy resolution to the legal claims after he was installed July 30.
During the last two weeks, the two sides narrowed the gap between the archdiocese's original $55 million offer and the $90 million to $120 million sought by the alleged victims.
