Overview
- Melanie F.’s lawyer said the Archdiocese of Cologne increased its recognition payment by €290,000 to €360,000 after a UKA review of her appeal.
- Her civil claim for at least €830,000 was rejected by the Cologne district court in July, which found the priest’s acts were private; an appeal is ongoing.
- A 70-year-old claimant known as “Hardy” has filed for €1 million in Schmerzensgeld plus roughly €80,000 in damages; the archdiocese said it has not yet received the lawsuit.
- Hardy alleges years of severe abuse by priests beginning in childhood and has previously received a voluntary payment from the archdiocese.
- Research by WDR and Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports more than 3,000 recognition applications, most under €20,000, with several high six-figure awards in NRW, placing the €360,000 payment among the largest.