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n emotional, civil jury of four women and two men delivered the verdict at midmorning Friday after barely four hours of deliberation. The finding for the victim, identified in court papers as Jacob Doe, followed what is believed to be the first public trial of a sexual abuse claim against the archdiocese.

Some jurors were still trying to compose themselves as they left the courthouse.

"We were trying so hard to do what was right by everybody, and I don't think I can talk right now," said forewoman Mary Pat Noonan. "We were working very hard together to be fair … and we are very proud of the job we did."

There have been dozens of claims involving child abuse by Connecticut priests against the Archdiocese of Hartford and the dioceses of Norwich and Bridgeport. With rare exceptions, they ended in confidential settlements in which the church conceded nothing while keeping secret what it paid to the victims, according to lawyers involved in the litigation.

The $1 million verdict, when considered with a recent $2.75 million verdict in a similar suit against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, could strengthen the positions of scores of victims who have lawsuits pending against the church hierarchy in Hartford and Bridgeport, as well as the hospital, for sexual abuse that occurred decades ago. In many of the suits, the defendants or their insurers have balked at settling for sums substantially lower than the two damage awards.

Doe said Friday that he believes the church treated him "viciously" after his decision in 2007 to sue. He said he no longer attends church, although his faith has not weakened...

The archdiocese tried to rebut Doe's claim of a chronic mental disability by arguing that his abuse did not produce the level of fear needed to trigger a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress. Had the abuse been truly traumatic, an archdiocese witness argued, Doe would have run away or reported Ferguson. To make his point, the church psychiatrist testified that Doe enjoyed parts of what he called a generally positive relationship with Ferguson.

On a written verdict form, jurors found that the archdiocese failed in numerous obligations, including failing to supervise Ferguson; failing to remove Ferguson from any position in which he could be a danger to minors, after learning of the earlier instance of abuse; and failing to warn parishioners, including Doe's parents, about the threat that Ferguson posed to children.