The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has reached a settlement in its bankruptcy case.
According to the law offices representing over 120 sex abuse victims in the diocese, the church has agreed to pay $100 million to the victims.
The survivors on the Committee of Unsecured Creditors were stalwarts, always fighting for all survivors,” said attorney Cynthia LaFave. “They deserve so much thanks and praise, and they deserve to have everyone know that they always kept up the fight regardless of the cost to themselves in exhaustion and emotion. The survivors and the committee have fought long and hard to achieve this historic result. Many thanks to them.”
Negotiations are still taking place on the non-monitory parts of the settlement, such as strengthening the diocese’s protocols to protect children and the public release of documents related to sexually abusive personnel with it.
“We are grateful to the survivors who stood up on behalf of themselves and countless other children to bring painful truths to light. 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,” said attorney Taylor Stippel.
The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 after 38 people filed lawsuits against it under the Childhood Victims Act which temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse victims.
