Victorian government pays highest ever non-court settlement for child sex abuse survivor A Victorian man has been paid $2.71m in the highest ever non-court settlement for a child sex abuse survivor from the state government. The man, who wants to be only known publicly as Butch, was sexually abused as a ten-year-old by a prisoner at Beechworth Prison in the early 1970s. The landmark amount comes amid a rising number of multimillion-dollar settlements paid by governments, schools and churches in the aftermath of court rulings clearing the way for previous nominal payments to be superseded. More than 300 schools and other organisations in Victoria are facing similar claim amounts from thousands of historic abuse victims. Kim Price, leader of Arnold Thomas & Becker’s abuse practice, said there had been “an increase in compensation amounts awarded to abuse survivors as a result of precedents set by former claims”. Arnold Thomas & Becker is representing over 430 former Victorian school students from 250 schools who have suffered historic abuse. Read more about this media story. Contact us As a leading Australian Abuse firm, we have helped hundreds of brave abuse survivors obtain compensation for physical, psychological and sexual abuse in intuitional settings. Money can’t take the pain away, however, it can help achieve clarity and closure. We have extensive experience in obtaining ground-breaking multi-million dollar payments for our clients. Visit our Institutional Abuse page for more information or call us on 03 9034 8433.