Out Of Court Settlements

Roman Catholic Church officials and attorneys for alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests in Los Angeles and Orange counties agreed Tuesday to negotiate more than 100 claims rather than engage in immediate lawsuits under a controversial state law that takes effect today. Attorneys for both sides and a Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman confirmed the broad outlines of the mediation effort on new cases that would be covered under the state law, which lifts the statute of limitations on molestation lawsuits for one year.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss say they ? not Mark Zuckerberg ? invented Facebook. And they are willing to risk $160 million for the chance to prove it. The ambitious young Olympic rowers made famous in the Oscar-nominated "The Social Network" are taking their last shot at the gold ? in London in 2012 and in San Francisco, where they are contesting an out-of-court settlement they reached with Facebook three years ago. If they prevail, their legal appeal would overturn the settlement, now worth in excess of $160 million because of the soaring value of the privately held company.

A mentally retarded 11-year-old girl won a $14-million medical malpractice suit against a Downey pediatrician Friday when a Norwalk Superior Court jury determined that the doctor failed to diagnose a hypothyroid condition at birth that could have been treated. James and Vicki Liston of Incline Village in the Lake Tahoe area, formerly of Lynwood, filed suit five years ago against the physician and St. Francis Hospital of Lynwood and its laboratory on behalf of their daughter, Jamie.

In the 1950s, Los Angeles County's raging growth and increasing national importance made it an essential local news beat. The Hall of Administration's news corps included dozens of broadcast, print and wire reporters from as far away as Long Beach, the Antelope Valley and San Diego. Today, because of cuts in newsroom budgets and staffs, only two wire services and two newspapers, including The Times, regularly cover a county government whose constituency totals 10.

Japan Air Lines is likely to reach out-of-court settlements with the four survivors and families of the 520 victims of Monday's airliner crash, lawyers said today. Japanese are more reluctant than Westerners to take such cases to court, the lawyers said. "I think it's based on the Japanese way of solving disputes," Takeshi Odagi, a general practice lawyer, told Reuters. "Going to court is the last resort.

The Waiver Wars are officially over. A lawsuit filed against Actors' Equity by 15 of its members, challenging the union's April, 1988, referendum that established its 99-Seat Theatre Plan, has been settled out of court. The plan governs the use of Equity members in theaters with fewer than 100 seats throughout Los Angeles County. It replaced the old Equity Waiver system. According to a joint statement, the plan will not be changed or modified before April 1, 1991. However, a review committee, consisting of four Equity representatives and four of the plaintiffs (or their chosen substitutes)

A former IBM executive who says he was denied a promotion because he is black, then was put under surveillance and eventually fired after he complained, reached an out-of-court settlement with the computer giant Monday. Bernard C. Duse Jr., 51, whose 1984 lawsuit sought unspecified damages, said both sides were barred from disclosing terms of the settlement, reached as jury selection was to begin in U.S. District Court. "I'm satisfied and I would assume IBM is," Duse said.

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the widow of Olympic wrestler David Schultz against eccentric millionaire and convicted murderer John du Pont has been settled out of court. Lawyers for both sides would not release the amount of the settlement. But the Philadelphia Inquirer, citing anonymous sources, reported Saturday that du Pont, 61, is to pay Nancy Schultz at least $35 million.

An Escondido lawyer who represented bankrupt Common Sense Capital Corp. on Wednesday tentatively agreed to a $2-million payment as part of an out-of-court settlement with former Common Sense investors. In a settlement hearing before U.S. District Judge J. Lawrence Irving, attorney Jeffrey Cheyne, who represented Common Sense and its executives, agreed to pay $1.98 million to 68 property owners of an uptown office building. Attorney Michael J.

In the 1950s, Los Angeles County's raging growth and increasing national importance made it an essential local news beat. The Hall of Administration's news corps included dozens of broadcast, print and wire reporters from as far away as Long Beach, the Antelope Valley and San Diego. Today, because of cuts in newsroom budgets and staffs, only two wire services and two newspapers, including The Times, regularly cover a county government whose constituency totals 10.

Two black youths accused of participating in the Halloween night mob beatings of three white women in Long Beach were offered an out-of-court settlement Monday that would include a recommendation that they serve three months in custody. Deputy Dist. Atty. Andrea Bouas said the offer would have the 15-year-old boys plead guilty to one count of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury, and two special allegations: causing great bodily injury and a hate crime.

Roman Catholic Church officials and attorneys for alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests in Los Angeles and Orange counties agreed Tuesday to negotiate more than 100 claims rather than engage in immediate lawsuits under a controversial state law that takes effect today. Attorneys for both sides and a Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman confirmed the broad outlines of the mediation effort on new cases that would be covered under the state law, which lifts the statute of limitations on molestation lawsuits for one year.

County toll road authorities have agreed to a $5.5-million, out-of-court settlement with their estranged chief contractor, which announced this summer it was pulling out of its contract to operate the county's network of tollways because the deal was a money loser. At a special meeting of the Transportation Corridor Agencies on Thursday, directors overwhelmingly agreed to a settlement that is roughly $6 million less than what Lockheed Martin IMS initially demanded in compensation.

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the widow of Olympic wrestler David Schultz against eccentric millionaire and convicted murderer John du Pont has been settled out of court. Lawyers for both sides would not release the amount of the settlement. But the Philadelphia Inquirer, citing anonymous sources, reported Saturday that du Pont, 61, is to pay Nancy Schultz at least $35 million.

Long suffering owners of units at Canyon Oaks Condominiums have received a $12-million out-of-court settlement to their suit charging the condo developer used substandard construction techniques and materials. American Beauty Homes built the 752-unit Canyon Country complex in the mid-1980s. The suit by condo owners was filed in 1990. Originally known as American Beauty Condominiums, the units were sold by the developer for $59,000 to $79,000.

In an extraordinary admission of corporate responsibility, a National Medical Enterprises unit has acknowledged that it was responsible for the 1992 death of a 13-year-old girl who killed herself at a company-owned psychiatric facility in Chula Vista. It is the first admission of responsibility in any of the nearly 150 lawsuits alleging physical mistreatment and abuse of patients that NME has faced since the late 1980s.

In an extraordinary admission of corporate responsibility, a National Medical Enterprises unit has acknowledged that it was responsible for the 1992 death of a 13-year-old girl who killed herself at a company-owned psychiatric facility in Chula Vista. It is the first admission of responsibility in any of the nearly 150 lawsuits alleging physical mistreatment and abuse of patients that NME has faced since the late 1980s.

Long suffering owners of units at Canyon Oaks Condominiums have received a $12-million out-of-court settlement to their suit charging the condo developer used substandard construction techniques and materials. American Beauty Homes built the 752-unit Canyon Country complex in the mid-1980s. The suit by condo owners was filed in 1990. Originally known as American Beauty Condominiums, the units were sold by the developer for $59,000 to $79,000.

Geffen Records has quietly resolved a sexual harassment case by agreeing to pay a former secretary an estimated $500,000 in an out-of-court settlement, sources said. The action ends a lawsuit that sparked an industry-wide debate last year about sexual harassment in the record business. Penny Muck, who sued former Geffen executive Marko Babineau last November for assault and battery and sexual harassment, could not be reached for comment.

A former IBM executive who says he was denied a promotion because he is black, then was put under surveillance and eventually fired after he complained, reached an out-of-court settlement with the computer giant Monday. Bernard C. Duse Jr., 51, whose 1984 lawsuit sought unspecified damages, said both sides were barred from disclosing terms of the settlement, reached as jury selection was to begin in U.S. District Court. "I'm satisfied and I would assume IBM is," Duse said.