The widely-reported tragedy of the Briscoe Memorial School and Orphanage is the subject of cases filed by former residents, all of whom were sexually and physically abused at Briscoe as children. The subsequent litigation involved more than 150 depositions, dozens of contested motions, and a finding by the Court that the Christian Brothers defendants withheld and destroyed important records in violation of Court rules. On the eve of a trial in October 2008, a group of 11 plaintiffs settled their cases for a total of $7.15 million. In January 2009, a second trial for 13 former residents was avoided when the defendants settled with them for a total of $7 million. The former residents were represented by GTH attorneys Mike Shaffer, Mark Honeywell, and now former GTH attorneys Darrell Cochran and lead counsel Mike Pfau.