For immediate release:
Friday, April 22, 2005

For more information:
Terrie Light of Hayward, SNAP Northwestern Regional Director 510 517 3338
Danny McNevin of Emeryville, Bay Area SNAP Director 415 341 6417
David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP National Director 314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915

Priest Sex Abuse Victim Announces Largest Female Settlement Ever

Multi-Million Dollar Agreement Reached This Week

She Was Victimized by Notorious Santa Rosa Cleric

WHAT
At a sidewalk news conference, a Sacramento woman will announce her new multi-million dollar civil child sex abuse settlement with a northern California Catholic diocese. It is believed to be the largest such settlement ever for a female clergy sex abuse victim anywhere.

She will also publicly call on church leaders to disclose the names of molesters so that parents can be warned and kids protected.

WHEN
Friday, March 22, noon

WHERE
Outside the Alameda County Courthouse, 1225 Fallon in Oakland CA

WHO
The victim, her attorney, and several clergy molestation victims who are members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a support group

WHY
The victim, Roberta Saum, was sexually abused by Father Don Kimball from ages 15 through 21, beginning when she was part of his youth group at Santa Rosa's Resurrection Parish.

Saum, 44, said Kimball “tried to get her to deny the relationship when she gave a deposition two years ago,” according to the Press Democrat.

In 2002, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for sex crimes against 14-year-old Ellen Brem of Santa Rosa and 14-year-old Mary Agbayani of Healdsburg more than two decades ago.

During his two-month trial, “six other women testified that Kimball molested them during the late 1970s and early 1980s while they were teen-agers in the Catholic Church,” according to the Press Democrat.

Brem, her brother Neil, Chris Ovard and Lorraine Bunz reached a $1.6 million civil settlement five years ago with the Santa Rosa Diocese over charges Kimball molested them.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/evergreen/diocese/041002kimball.html

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/evergreen/diocese/041102kimball.html

Saum is 44 years old, married, has one adult daughter and works as a software engineer in a large technology company.

In his criminal trial, Kimball (now 61) was represented by defense attorneys Chris Andrian and Cincy Waugh. The prosecutor was Gary Medvigy. During those proceedings, Kimball assaulted a newspaper photographer.

Kimball, who was ordained in 1969, also worked at St. Bernard’s parish in Eureka and the Cathedral of St. Eugene in Santa Rosa. He stopped working for the diocese in 1991.