Upstate New York Catholic diocese proclaims $100 million settlement for sexual abuse victims

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse on Thursday introduced a $100 million settlement with individuals who say they had been sexual abuse victims as a part of its chapter proceedings.

Catholic dioceses across the state are coping with a surge of lawsuits relationship to when New York quickly suspended the statute of limitations to offer individuals who say they had been victims of childhood sexual abuse the power to pursue decades-old allegations.

“I can tell you as shocking as the settlement amount may seem to leaders of our own parishes and other Catholic entities, more appalling and heart-rending to me is the pain and mistreatment experienced by the survivors of child and adult sexual abuse at the hands of those they thought they could trust,” Bishop Douglas Lucia wrote in an open letter Thursday.

The Syracuse diocese, which filed for chapter safety in 2020, stated there are 411 claims involving 387 individuals, with some individuals submitting a number of claims. An abuse claims reviewer can be appointed to guage claims and make awards to survivors, in accordance with the diocese.

The settlement, which stays topic to a creditor vote and court docket approval, would offer $100 million to all victims of sexual abuse dedicated within the diocese by clergy, staff and volunteers. Under the settlement, the diocese would contribute $50 million, parishes would contribute $45 million and the remaining $5 million would come from different diocesan entities, in accordance with the diocese.

The diocese and the committee of unsecured collectors had been nonetheless discussing methods to strengthen little one safety protocols.

This settlement doesn’t embody the six insurance coverage corporations that supplied protection to the diocese.

“Although the battle is not over, today’s settlement represents a significant step toward the accountability and justice that survivors in the Diocese of Syracuse deserve,” stated Taylor Stippel, an lawyer for victims.