The Catholic Church is expected to pay out as much as $3 million in a landmark legal settlement with a man who was raped in the confessional when he was a nine-year-old boy by notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale.

The settlement in the first civil case in which the church admitted liability for the actions of a paedophile cleric is expected to have a massive impact on hundreds of other law suits filed in Victorian courts.

JCB, who was raped by paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale as a boy, has dedicated his multi-million-dollar payout from the Catholic Church to other victims. Credit:Justin McManus

Experts estimate the case was resolved for between $2 million and $3 million but combined legal costs – for the plaintiff and the church, of about $1.5 million – will be taken out of that figure.

The plaintiff has dedicated his landmark payout to victims of clergy abuse who have taken their own lives.