Rochester diocese agrees to pay sex abuse survivors $55 million

Democrat & Chronicle

Hundreds of people who say they were sexually abused by Rochester-area priests have agreed to a financial settlement with the Diocese of Rochester.

The settlement will create a trust for the benefit of roughly 475 individuals who filed claims against the Diocese as part of its bankruptcy case. The Diocese, parishes and related entities will pay $55 million to the trust along with the rights to the Diocese’s insurance policies. Many of the survivors will be able to pursue their claims in court in order to recover proceeds from those policies.

The amount of money to be paid by those insurance companies has been the subject of intense and at times heated negotiations.

“This was a long and difficult fight, but the terms of this new proposal are a validation of the hundreds of child abuse claims that this Diocese and its parishes are facing,” said attorney James Marsh. “This Diocese does not have the same amount of available assets as others, but it is paying a substantial amount of what it has.”

In exchange for the settlement payment, the Diocese will receive a discharge in bankruptcy, and its parishes and affiliates will be released of their liabilities for the sexual abuse claims. Individuals accused of abuse and non-Diocesan organizations, such as religious orders, are not included in the settlement. Find more information online here.