Rockefeller University is suing a handful of insurance companies that have provided it liability coverage in the past after they wouldn’t immediately agree to cover, or defend against, hundreds of child sex abuse claims levied against the institution.
Now, the university’s insurers are refusing to pay out costs to settle those claims, and the legal defense associated with them, according to attorneys for Rockefeller.
Jennifer Freeman, senior counsel at the Marsh Law Firm in White Plains, represents approximately 200 individuals who plan to file claims against Rockefeller based on alleged child sex abuse perpetrated by Archibald.
She said the university’s lawsuit against its insurers won’t change her litigation strategy.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect our strategy, or probably other lawyers’ strategy at this point, but it is an underlying issue for all of these cases because it will likely affect the compensation amounts offered to people in the event there are settlements,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the number of claims levied at institutions such as Rockefeller and the Catholic Church have left insurance companies wondering what to do, since the payout related to those actions will likely be relatively large. That liability wasn’t always there before laws such as the CVA.
“My impression is that they’re acting like a deer in the headlights because they have a very large liability they’re potentially facing,” Freeman said. “What they’ve basically done is stiff-arm Rockefeller and the Catholic Church as well.”