DENVER -- Attorneys and church officials said that more than a dozen lawsuits against the Denver Archdiocese alleging sexual abuse by priests or cover-ups have been settled.

The attorneys said the settlements total $5.5 million and involve allegations by 18 people who said they were sexually assaulted as children by three priests. All three of the priests have since died.

Lawyers and archdiocese officials scheduled separate news conferences Tuesday to discuss the settlements.

Tom Koldeway spoke at one of the press conferences and said he and two of his siblings were molested by one of the priests in question, Father Harold White.

Portions of White's file were released to the victims, 16 in total.

The file shows the church knew of the claims against the priest for years, dating back to 1959 and up to 1981.

The church also moved White at least 10 times to various parishes throughout the years.

"They concealed him, they enabled him to be what he was his entire career. He had accusations made against him before I was born and he hurt all these people...every parish he was in...this is about accountability," said Koldeway.

Archbishop Charles Chaput said decisions made a quarter-century ago by archdiocesan officials would not satisfy current archdiocesan policies for handling allegations of sexual abuse. The Archdiocese of Denver now removed people from active ministry that have credible claims leveled against them and also turn them over to authorities.

"Today before the cameras and before the people of our church and broader community, I just want to once again express the sadness of all of us in the church that this happened and our apology," said Chaput.

Two other lawsuits remain against the Archdiocese of Denver. To date, 43 lawsuits or claims have been settled for a total of $ 8.2M.