By Rachel Zoll
The Associated Press

The $25.7 million settlement the Archdiocese of Louisville has agreed to pay victims of clerical sex abuse ends one high-profile legal fight for the Roman Catholic Church. But the 243 people covered by that agreement represent just a fraction of outstanding claims nationwide, guaranteeing more financial pain ahead for U.S. dioceses.

In the last year, about 1,000 people have come forward with new allegations against dioceses across the country, according to Mark Chopko, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

More than 500 abuse claims are pending in the Archdiocese of Boston alone. In California, where state lawmakers have abolished the time limit on abuse lawsuits for this year only, hundreds of new claims are expected.

"It's going to be substantial period of time - years - before this is over," said Steve Rubino, a longtime victims' attorney from New Jersey.

Even dioceses like Louisville, which have agreed to multimillion-dollar payouts, may see more lawsuits.

The Kentucky settlement announced Tuesday was shared among people who all accused priests and employees of child sex abuse.

But the cases were not filed as a class-action suit, which would have set a time limit for plaintiffs to claim their share of a settlement. Abuse lawsuits are filed separately - and nothing bars more alleged victims from suing in Louisville even after agreements have been reached with others.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said in a statement Tuesday that "we are certain there are still dozens of wounded victims in the Louisville diocese who remain trapped in silence."

David Clohessy, the Survivors Network national director, said it is common for victims in the same diocese to await the outcome of someone else's lawsuit before filing one themselves.

"The last thing they want is to be hurt again. They say, 'I'm going to sit tight and see how this works out,' " Clohessy said. "People think these lawsuits come in a deluge. It's just the reverse."

Some state legislatures are taking action that increases the chances for more litigation. Bills that would extend time limits for civil lawsuits are awaiting governors' signatures in Illinois and Missouri.

In Illinois, Rubino predicted hundreds of new claims will be filed in that state alone if the proposed changes become law.

All these uncertainties put dioceses in a precarious financial position. It is nearly impossible for them to accurately estimate their potential costs from the lawsuits. And, as in Louisville, many face claims that are so old their insurance does not cover the payouts.

Louisville's is the latest of at least four multimillion-dollar lawsuits settled by U.S. dioceses since last September, with the church shelling out more than $55 million. Estimates of the amount dioceses have paid to abuse victims in the last two decades go as high as $1 billion.

"If the Archdiocese of Boston breaks the bank to pay for whatever cases are pending now, tomorrow another lawyer could file another 50 cases," said Patrick Schiltz, dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, who has defended dioceses in scores of abuse cases.

Major settlements in sex abuse cases

Here is a list of some of the larger settlements made public in sex abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church in recent years:

1998: Diocese of Lafayette, La., discloses that it paid at least $18 million to families of children molested by the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe.

1998: Victims of ex-priest Rudy Kos agree to reduced settlement of about $31 million with the Diocese of Dallas, after jury awarded them more than $100 million.

1999: Jury awards $30 million to two brothers molested for more than a decade by the Rev. Oliver Francis O'Grady in the Diocese of Stockton, Calif. The award is later reduced to $13 million.

2001: California dioceses of Los Angeles and Orange pay $5.2 million to Ryan DiMaria, who was sexually abused as a teen by a priest.

Jan. 29, 2002: Diocese of Tucson pays an estimated $15 million to settle 11 lawsuits claiming the plaintiffs were abused as altar boys.

Sept. 9, 2002: Diocese of Providence, R.I., pays $13.5 million to settle 36 sex abuse claims.

Sept. 19, 2002: Boston Archdiocese settles with 86 victims of former priest John Geoghan for $10 million.

May 22, 2003: Diocese of Manchester reaches a $6.5 million settlement with 61 people.

June 10, 2003: Archdiocese of Louisville agrees to pay $25.7 million to 243 people who said they were abused.