[JURIST] The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland [diocesan website] in California has agreed to pay $56 million to settle a series of lawsuits filed by former church members who claim they were sexually abused by priests [JURIST news archive]. The payout will settle 56 lawsuits, with nearly 750 civil lawsuits still pending against the Roman Catholic dioceses statewide. In 1999, the California Legislature passed a law [backgrounder] that delayed discovery statute of limitations for the commencement of civil actions brought by adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, allowing many victims who would have been barred from bringing suit to file claims. AP has more.